Proven benchmarking tool, applied in over 200 destinations, identifies four countries as “Dawning Developers” poised for sustainable growth.
JOHANNESBURG, 21 October 2025 – Africa’s Eden Tourism Association (Africa’s Eden), in partnership with JLL and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), unveiled a strategic roadmap to accelerate sustainable tourism growth across four countries in Southern Africa. The findings are based on JLL’s globally recognised Tourism Readiness Index, a proven framework previously applied to over 200 destinations worldwide. This latest analysis provides a data-driven assessment of Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, outlining a clear path for investment, policy action, and tourism product diversification.
The Index uses more than 70 indicators across eight pillars – Scale, Concentration, Leisure, Business, Urban Readiness, Safety & Security, Environmental Readiness and Policy & Prioritisation. The research underpinning the Africa’s Eden report was conducted between October 2024 and June 2025.
“This Index is a living document - a tool for our members, our partners, and all stakeholders in tourism,” says Jillian Blackbeard, CEO of Africa’s Eden.
“The Tourism Readiness Index offers a standardised global approach to destination assessment,” says Bernadine Galliver, JLL’s Head of Tourism Advisory for MEA.
“Designed to facilitate critical conversations between stakeholders, the Index provides a roadmap for unlocking sustainable tourism growth,” adds Gloria Guevara, WTTC Interim CEO.
The Index is not a ranking system: it identifies the “delta” between what destinations offer today and what they will need to service future visitors sustainably.
That means actionable guidance on where to invest – from air connectivity and road links to visa openness, MICE infrastructure, and product diversification (culture, events, coastal and city experiences) – so growth is inclusive, climate-sensitive and resilient.
The full report is being made available to government agencies, tourism associations, investors and civil-society partners today, accompanied by regional webinars to turn insights into action.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Jillian Blackbeard, CEO, Africa’s Eden Tourism Association
jillian@africaseden.travel
Bernadine Galliver, Head of Tourism Advisory, MEA
Bernadine.Galliver@jll.com
Africa’s Eden is a tourism association representing Angola, Botswana, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The organisation works to promote sustainable tourism growth in southern Africa, advocating for the region’s tourism sector and creating opportunities for its 400+ members in the travel industry.
For over 200 years, JLL (NYSE: JLL), a leading global commercial real estate and investment management company, has helped clients buy, build, occupy, manage and invest in a variety of commercial, industrial, hotel, residential and retail properties. A Fortune 500 company with annual revenue of $20.8 billion and operations in over 80 countries around the world, our more than 108,000 employees bring the power of a global platform combined with local expertise. Driven by our purpose to shape the future of real estate for a better world, we help our clients, people and communities. JLL is the brand name, and a registered trademark, of Jones Lang LaSalle. Incorporated. For further information, visit jll.com.
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector. Members include 200 CEOs, Chairs and Presidents of the world’s leading Travel & Tourism companies from all geographies covering all industries. For more than 30 years, WTTC has been committed to maximising the inclusive and sustainable growth potential of the Travel & Tourism sector by partnering with governments, destinations, communities, and other stakeholders to drive economic development, create jobs, reduce poverty and foster peace, security, and understanding in our world. For more information, visit wttc.org
