Richard J

Board & Advisory Candidate | Cross-Border Growth, Tourism & Economic Development Strategist | China–Africa | Governance, Market Access & Stakeholder Strategy |

[Richard J @richjjuls]

Africa’s tourism opportunity isn’t waiting for another idea. It’s waiting for infrastructure that turns visibility into bookings. That’s why we’re building MTP Exchange; helping tourism businesses connect, manage, sell & grow.

Early registration is open: https://t.co/nefSJloBjq

[Richard J @richjjuls]

Tourism needs more strategic thinkers and fewer campaign thinkers. Destinations cannot market their way out of weak infrastructure, poor governance, low investor confidence, or fragmented ecosystems. Tourism is economic infrastructure, not just promotion.
#TourismLeadership

[Richard J @richjjuls]

Tourism growth without structure creates fragility. Record visitor numbers mean little if local SMEs, infrastructure, jobs, and communities are excluded from the value chain.

The strongest tourism economies are not the loudest marketed. They are the best coordinated.

#Tourism

[Richard J @richjjuls]

Tourism is not a department. It is economic infrastructure.

The strongest destinations don’t just market tourism, they design ecosystems around it: SMEs, skills, infrastructure, investment, and community participation.

#TourismStrategy #EconomicDevelopment #DestinationDevelop

[Richard J @richjjuls]

China–Africa’s next phase won’t be driven by opportunity spotting, but by system integration.

The edge will belong to those who can:
• Align policy with capital
• Coordinate across sectors
• Build partnerships that scale
Connection builds resilience.

[Richard J @richjjuls]

Africa has access. That’s not the breakthrough. The constraint was never trade, it’s execution, alignment, coordination. Policy is moving. Systems aren’t. When flows of people, capital & influence expand, misalignment leaks value.
Read my article:
👉 https://t.co/dtFOgUhDZQ

[Richard J @richjjuls]

If trade is accelerating, why isn’t tourism keeping pace? Trade triggers business travel, investment flows & diaspora movement. But tourism? Still marketing-led. Still volume-chasing. Trade builds corridors. Tourism must design for them. Are you planning for tourists or trade?

[Richard J @richjjuls]

Trade policy just reshaped tourism. China’s zero-tariff access for 53 African countries isn’t just trade, it’s a signal. Trade moves first. Tourism follows. The winners won’t chase tourists. They’ll align with corridors of capital, supply chains & investment.

[Richard J @richjjuls]

Tourism doesn’t fail from lack of demand. It fails from poor design. If SMEs aren’t embedded, value leaks out.
Inclusive tourism isn’t social policy. It’s economic strategy. Value stays where systems are built to retain it. Is your model creating value or exporting it?
#Tourism

[Richard J @richjjuls]

Tourism doesn’t create impact, it multiplies what’s designed. Without structure, value concentrates. With intention, it distributes. Tourism isn’t an industry. It’s an economic system. So ask: is your model creating value or just capturing attention?

#TourismStrategy #Economy

[Richard J @richjjuls]

April in Switzerland: boardrooms, conversations, reflection on where I create the most value. At the intersection of governance, stakeholder judgment, tourism & cross-border growth. Co-founded Meridian Advisory Partnership. (https://t.co/NqM290Ogpc)

[Richard J @richjjuls]

Opportunity doesn’t attract capital. Structure does. Tourism isn’t underfunded due to demand, but weak investable systems. Investors assess: policy clarity, stability, scalable models, alignment & credibility. Build infrastructure, not promotion.

#TourismInvestment #Governance

[Richard J @richjjuls]

Tourism attracts attention. Structured tourism attracts investment. Investors don’t fund potential—they fund clarity, stability & scalable systems.

Stop marketing destinations. Start engineering tourism economies.

#TourismInvestment #InvestmentStrategy #EconomicDevelopment

[Richard J @richjjuls]

Short-term campaigns don’t fix structural gaps in tourism. They expose them. Real performance comes from systems: policy consistency, value chain alignment, institutional capability, and long-term measurement.

Tourism is economic infrastructure. Build it that way.

#Tourism

[Richard J @richjjuls]

If your board is only tracking marketing metrics, you’re not governing tourism, you’re reporting activity. Tourism performance isn’t a marketing outcome. It’s a system outcome. Strong promotion can hide weak ecosystems, fragmented stakeholders, and misaligned policy.
##Tourism

[Richard J @richjjuls]

Misalignment between policy & execution is one of tourism’s biggest hidden risks. Strategy alone doesn’t deliver, governance discipline does. Align incentives, build execution capability, and measure real economic value, not just arrivals.

#TourismStrategy #Governance #Risk

[Richard J @richjjuls]

Tourism performance isn’t a marketing outcome. It’s a governance outcome.

When policy, infrastructure, investment, and strategy are misaligned, no campaign can fix it.

Marketing scales what governance has already made viable.

Boards shape tourism results. Not campaigns.

[Richard J @richjjuls]

Tourism isn’t seasonal. Poor planning is.

Destinations with year-round value don’t rely on peak periods. They design systems: diversified demand, aligned stakeholders, and integrated local economies.

Shift from campaigns to structure. That’s where real growth lives.

#Strategy

[Richard J @richjjuls]

Tourism is often measured by arrivals. It should be measured by value distribution. High visitor numbers do not automatically translate into economic impact.
The real question is: who benefits, how much, and how consistently? Value requires structure.
#ValueCreation #TourismStra

[Richard J @richjjuls]

Tourism growth without structure creates unintended consequences. Leakages increase. Local participation remains limited. Investor confidence weakens. Sustainable tourism requires intentional system-building that ensures value is retained and distributed effectively.
#Strategy