Apr 23 2025
As Africa’s tourism sector accelerates into 2025, many businesses are seeing record demand from travelers — but behind the scenes, they’re still grappling with outdated financial systems.
In March 2025, IPT Africa conducted a Tourism Payments Survey to better understand the challenges, needs, and expectations of operators working across the continent. We heard directly from tour companies, hospitality providers, regulators, and tourism entrepreneurs based in South Africa, Ghana, and beyond.
Here’s what they had to say.
🔍 Key Finding 1: Frustration with Current Payment Systems
Over 60% of respondents described their current financial technology and payment setup as dissatisfied or very dissatisfied.
Common pain points included:
- Delayed payments from OTAs, agents, and booking platforms due to cross-border challenges
- High transaction fees, especially for inbound international payments
- Manual, disjointed systems that create operational inefficiencies
- Lack of visibility and tracking for international settlements
💸 Key Finding 2: FX Risk Is Poorly Managed
When asked how they manage foreign exchange volatility:
- Nearly half of all respondents admitted they don’t manage FX risk at all
- Others used forward contracts or multi-currency accounts, but inconsistently
Given that most travel-related income arrives in USD, EUR, or GBP — while costs are incurred in local African currencies — this lack of risk management poses a real threat to profit margins.
🔄 Key Finding 3: Fragmented Tools = Operational Burden
Many businesses rely on multiple, disconnected platforms:
- One tool to receive funds
- A second platform to convert currency
- A third to pay out locally
- And spreadsheets in between
Tourism operators are spending too much time reconciling transactions and troubleshooting delays — when their time could be better spent growing their businesses.
🧠 Key Finding 4: The Industry Wants One Solution
When asked about an ideal platform, responses pointed clearly toward a unified, end-to-end solution with the following features:
- Real-time cross-border payment capability
- Multi-currency support with transparent FX rates
- A single platform for both inbound and outbound flows
- Clear compliance tracking and reporting tools
Operators don’t just want speed — they want clarity, control, and simplicity.
🧭 Where Do We Go From Here?
As tourism expands across the continent, the financial infrastructure that supports it must evolve. The findings from this survey reveal that:
- Efficiency isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s vital to protect margins
- FX volatility is more than a nuisance — it’s a hidden cost centre
- Simplification isn’t just helpful — it’s key to enabling scale
At IPT Africa, we’ll continue listening to the industry and helping build the financial tools that power its future.
📢 Want to see the full survey results or speak with someone from our team about payment challenges in your business?
Drop us a DM — we’d love to hear from you.