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The development potential of tourism is widely recognised, and its promotion has been embraced by many developing countries. While many African countries are among these, in most, tourism’s potential remains underexploited. Africa’s share of the global market remains low despite the region’s advantages. Interlinked reasons for this commonly include poor service standards and a shortage of suitably skilled labour in the sector. Because human interaction forms a crucial component of any destination’s tourism product, a country can enhance the economic contribution of tourism through the development of the people employed (or employable) in the industry, i.e. human resource development (HRD). This study uses concepts from management studies and economics to explore the links between tourism, economic development, and HRD, and highlights the role that tourism HRD can play in tourism-led development in an African context.