Tourists soak up rare natural and cultural treasures

Famous for its lovely climate, golden beaches and broad range of natural and cultural delights, Senegal has been a popular destination for millions of European and American tourists for more than 30 years.

The welcoming country is now hoping to repeat this outstanding success in the lucrative Asian travel market and is inviting Chinese tourists and investors to tap into the sector's rich potential.

From a relatively small industry that started with the introduction of the first Club Med resort in the 1970s, tourism has grown to become an important part of the Senegalese economy through foreign exchange earnings.

Over the last couple of decades, Senegal has made a major effort to attract visitors from outside its traditional strong markets of France and Belgium.

Natural places of interest include the Sine-Saloum Delta, the Grande Cte (north of Dakar), the Lac Rose, and the Senegal River, while the present and former capital cities -Dakar and Saint Louis - guarantee visitors a warm welcome.

Unfortunately, the impact of the global financial crisis and increased competition from rival destinations in North Africa, like Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia, have resulted in a drop in tourist arrivals to Senegal in recent years.

According to recent figures put together by industry groups, around 500,000 foreigners visited in 2010, with that total expected to slip again this year due to a combination of external factors - like higher oil prices - and internal factors such as lack of investment in tourism infrastructure.

However, with the opening of the new Blaise Diagne International Airport later this year or in early 2012, and the recent launch of Senegal Airlines and expected arrival of domestic carrier Air Teranga in the near future, that downward trend should soon be reversed.

Statistics compiled by the government paint a far rosier picture and earlier this year, tourism officials unveiled figures showing a 62 percent year-on-year rise in foreign visitor numbers to the southern province of Casamance.

Source - chinadaily.com.cn