School sessions are ending, and as the holiday period approaches, it is paramount for families to choose destinations that are kid-friendly.
Travel, which typically consists of safaris, historical sites, and beautiful scenery, goes beyond these attractions to include kid-friendly activities, safety, and inclusivity.
African countries, with the Seychelles leading the pack, followed by Morocco, South Africa, Namibia, Mauritius, Madagascar, Djibouti, The Gambia, Kenya, and Liberia, qualify as the top 10 African destinations that are family-friendly.
These countries offer security and activities for children’s comfortability, according to travel advisory firm, Go2Africa.
Findings from the recent report by the travel advisory firm reveal that the continent has a lot to offer. From vast national parks where kids get to see exotic wildlife for the first time to pristine beaches that are unlike any other in the world, Africa has some of the most incredible environments and activities for families to explore with children.
However, Nigeria being nowhere in sight on kid-friendliness is a question.
In concordance with travel industry findings, travelling with children is made easier by the convenient amenities and services that these family-friendly destinations offer. While this feature is present in the aforementioned top 10 African countries, it is absent in Nigeria, as empirical studies and analyses of citizens’ reactions have revealed.
A month to the end of last year, Nigeria ranked sixth amongst African countries with the worst road infrastructure and a mean score of 55. The mean score correlated with the existing World Bank’s Rural Access Index and the World Economic Forum’s (WEF’s) Quality of Road Infrastructure score.
According to publications on road quality published by the International Monetary Fund, it is clear that poor road infrastructure negatively impacts both societal well-being and tourism opportunities.
For the past few weeks, residents of Ogun State, home to a plethora of natural endowments for tourism, have complained bitterly about the dilapidated roads within the state, which have made movement burdensome.
The recent flood that occurred, which made the roads almost unusable, had residents crying to the government for help.
“Olumo Rock, which is like the signature tourist site for the state, has terrible roads that lead to it,” Paul Ibeh, an engineer and father of three, lamented.
Ibeh had taken his children on vacation to the rock that had so many tales to tell. Unfortunately, the road to the rock was not a smooth one.
“Almost every minute you are entering a pothole, I mean deep potholes enough to swallow your tyre. The road is an eyesore. By the time my family got there, we were so exhausted. My children felt very dizzy; we didn’t enjoy it the way we wanted. I even had to repair one of my tyres, incurring additional expenses.”
The engineer stated that roads are also part of tourists’ experiences and should not be overlooked.
He added that the tourist site is not all that matters, but the exquisite experience before, during, and after the tour matters.
“As a Nigerian, I can understand a little about the plight of the roads, but if I were a foreign tourist, I would not come back again.” Ibeh chipped in.
South Africa, recently ranked as the leader in the top 10 African tourist destinations by the Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI), was evaluated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as the country with the best road infrastructure with a mean score of 100. An important amenity for seamless tourism made it possible for the country to be among the best African countries that are kid-friendly.
Apart from the usual complaints of poor road infrastructure within the country, insecurity is another factor that has made the country an unfavourable option for family-friendly travel.
Nigeria is ranked second out of 10 African countries with the highest crime index as of mid-2024, according to data portal Numbeo. Parents are unsure of their children’s safety in a nation where small-time thefts and large-scale criminal networks coexist.
Security and Defence Quarterly defined security as a crucial metric for safe tourism and could not be taken for granted.
According to their research, “Tourists are suitable targets because they carry money or valuable things with them, and furthermore, they are in an unknown environment. The perpetrators of the criminal offences are motivated, especially in the poorer countries, by seeing a very clear difference between those who have and those who have not, and if there are no suitable guardians, such as police or security, the possibility of perpetrating criminal offences against tourists is increased.”
It was also revealed that the best African country for a family-friendly vacation, Seychelles, has the best food situation in Africa.
Food is a critical factor for travel and is described by the World Food Travel Association as a tool used “to deliver a memory.” The Seychelles had a food inflation figure of -2.9 per cent at the beginning of the year.
On the flip side, Nigeria’s food situation is the worst in Africa, with its inflationary rate at 40.7 per cent midway through 2024.
The country also houses the hungriest people in Africa, according to the Hunger Hotspots report by the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP).
Unlike other countries that have adequate food resources to feed tourists both home and abroad, there are doubts, especially among participants in the hospitality industry, about whether Nigeria has adequate infrastructure to make tourists, including kids, have exquisite experiences.
For the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, “long-anticipated summer travel is not without its nutritional challenges, and adding young children to the mix multiplies those challenges.”
The academy stated that “logging a lot of miles in the car may have your kids asking for snacks to ease the boredom.” Its analysis revealed that great restaurants and food service in countries are necessary for kids to have an enjoyable time while on vacation.
Go2Africa, which analysed almost four thousand hotels, attractions, and restaurants around the globe to discover the perfect spot for families to visit, stated that a vacation destination should “offer a good selection of family-friendly hotels, plenty of activities to keep their kids entertained, and a variety of restaurants that cater to picky eaters.”
According to the travel consultancy firm, the stunning island nation of the Seychelles is the best place in the world to go with children. Relative to non-family-friendly locations, the nation boasts the largest percentage of family-friendly hotels, restaurants, and activities, solidifying its position as a top travel destination for parents.