Luxury Tourism Industry in Africa: History, Development, Challenges and Prospects after the COVID-19 Pandemic

The article analyzes the development of luxury tourism in Africa which became one of the fastest growing tourism continents at the turn of the 21st century. Luxury tourism industry provides the lion’s share of foreign exchange earnings to state budgets, so the governments of a number of countries pay special attention to its development. Representing an economically profitable area for investment of local and foreign capital, it is developing both in traditional places of attraction for foreign tourists (for example, in Egypt, Mauritius, Seychelles, Tunisia, South Africa), and in the countries that have recently begun to develop this segment of their tourism industry.The author acknowledges main characters of luxury tourism in Africa similar to that in other parts of the world: the highest quality of services provided focused on the comfort and the safety of customers, the exclusivity of the tours offered, an individual approach to the client, long-standing and strong ties with tour operators in a large number of countries. The richness and originality of the cultures of numerous peoples of the continent, the diversity of natural landscapes, endemic flora and fauna are additional advantages for the tourists choosing Africa for recreation.Many countries of the continent still remain among the poorest in the world, so the development of the tourism industry in Africa, including its luxury segment, affects employment and creation of new jobs directly and indirectly, and it helps to solve one of the most important social problems, that is of the unemployment.The conclusion is made that the progress of this branch is hampered by the insufficient development of infrastructure and the lack of specialized personnel and educational institutions for their training. Further sustainable development of tourism in Africa, including luxury tourism, depends on the stability of the internal political situation there, the fight against crime and infectious diseases, and the solution of the visa problems.