The "Obama effect" of a US president with African heritage and the 2010 World Cup are boosting tourism in Africa, industry experts say.
"There has been a shift in the way people look at Africa," says the head of the UN World Tourism Organisation.
"Africa is now considered a very serious destination for travellers from the major generating markets," Taleb Rifai told a conference in Madrid.
Last week UNWTO said Africa had "bucked the global trend" in tourism in 2009.
It was the only continent to see a rise in the number of international tourist arrivals last year - with travellers increasing by 5%.
That compared to fall of 4% worldwide, attributed to the economic crisis and the swine flu pandemic.
However Mr Rifai said Africa's share of the tourist market was still only 5% - or around 50 million tourists from a total of nearly 900 million.
Kenya's tourist board says that the fact that President Obama's father was from Kenya has led to an increase in Americans visiting the country. - BBC
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