Tourism platform Waka Waka 237 has launched in Cameroon, aiming to attracting 3.5 million tourists each year.

A new online tourism platform Waka Waka 237 has launched in Cameroon, aiming to attracting 3.5 million tourists each year.

The Hotel and Tourism Industries Employers' Union of Cameroon (SPIHT) unveiled the platform yesterday, as it seeks to leverage on ICTs to make Cameroon a tourist destination of choice on the continent.

The union says the move is meant to cushion tourism sector, which was heavily impacted by the disruptions caused by COVID-19 pandemic and is no betting on technology to turn around fortunes in the sector.

SPIHT officials said Waka Waka 237 will connect tourists, visitors and leisure seekers to services providers.

In addition to displaying affiliated hotels and leisure hotpots, the platform will also be used for bookings and payments, as well as purchasing of ‘Made in Cameroon’ products.

Yann Anoko of SPIHT said the deployment of the online platform will help drive Cameroon’s digital economy ambitions, while fully digitalising the tourism and hotel industries.

“We are really far behind in Cameroon in terms of digitalisation. If it is in 2023 that we are launching this kind of a platform, we should all be aware that as a country we have a lot of work to do.

“The top in our domain in terms of digital platforms globally are Booking.com and Hotels.com. These structures are setting the pace and I think we have to put in the works to ensure we also advance,” Anoko said.

The project is funded by the European Union’s Competitiveness Support Facility for Cameroon, as part Cameroon’s vision 2035 of becoming a digital economy.