Microsoft has detailed the key partnerships through which it hopes Africa will develop a sustainable tourism industry as a force to alleviate poverty. This follows its recent Government Leaders Forum in Cape Town.
The company describes "Windows on Africa" as a Web portal system designed to showcase African tourism by aggregating online content in a "user-friendly pan-African format".
Microsoft will develop the project through partnerships with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the New Partnership for Africa`s Development.
UNWTO notes on its Web site that the online content "will be linked nationally and locally to incorporate data from visitor centres, libraries and museums; ultimately to provide real-time advice via personal digital assistants and other mobile devices with destination-specific data".
Tourism education
A tourism industry and skills learning curriculum, based on a model implemented by Cape Town Tourism, will be made available both on the portal and through training sessions at local community-based technology centres, adds UNWTO.
At this stage, it is unclear where the centres will be located, or how much Microsoft and its partner organisations plan to invest.
The UN reports that Africa accounts for 4% of the world`s international tourism, which UNWTO recently estimated to be a $682 billion-a-year market.
Emergency response
Microsoft adds that its co-operation with UNWTO "will allow for the creation of the UNWTO Emergency Response System, a mechanism for information sharing and rapid messaging that aims to bring order and help save lives during natural or man-made catastrophes".
The solution is set to combine a range of existing tourism networks that offer elements of disaster information. "These include hotel, airline, cruise ship and travel bureau networks - all to be streamlined in one platform," says the company.
The first application will provide support for industry-wide avian flu preparedness.
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