As a young man amongst his peers in the early years of high school, we always spoke of what we were going to do for the summer. The first topic was always 'Where will you be going this time?' Those who had fairly comfortable parents spoke of going to England, America, etc. Those who couldn't afford to travel, spent a lot of time in their hometowns or villages, and we all enjoyed exchanging stories, even when there was an obvious gap.

I was fortunate to get the best of both worlds.Whilst in the UK though, I have rarely come across any friends, or friends' associates who have mentioned looking forward to a trip in Africa, and it's got me wondering.

Have the stories perpetuated by certain newspapers and tv documentaries put people off or have we as Africans collectively failed to be good ambassadors for our continent as a whole? Africa is not necessarily an unknown destination and there are countries like Kenya, South Africa and Egypt that usually make their rounds regularly. But what of the rest of it?

Thsi will be a subject of continuous debate and there are those who will say that countries with Africa have a number of socio-political, economic and genearl factors that work for and against it. Should it be down to the government to decide and promote tourism, or are there efforts we can make ourselves?