In 2007, Kenyas Safaricom launched M-Pesa a service that let people transfer money using the most basic feature phone. It didnt require a smartphone, an app or even an internet connection. It ran on simple cellular technology USSD and SMS.
The result was a revolution. M-Pesa gave millions of unbanked people access to the formal economy empowering small business owners, securing payments and changing the continent forever.
South Africas tourism industry is standing at a similar moment: facing a profound digital divide. We have a world-class, digitally savvy tourism sector with sleek hotels and operators managing bookings across global platforms like Booking.com, Expedia and Airbnb.
