235 Private Sector and Infrastructure February 2004 Findings reports on ongoing operational, economic, and sector work carried out by the World Bank and its member governments in the Africa Region. It is published periodically by the Knowledge and Learning Center on behalf of the Region. The views expressed in Findings are those of the author/s and should not be attributed to the World Bank Group. http://www.worldbank.org/afr/findings Tourism in Senegal I n 2000, receipts of FCFA 96.8 bil- tourism. Its natural assets include lion (US$129 million) ranked the a variety of birds, access to big tourism sector in Senegal sec- game fishing and scuba diving, and ond after fishing and before ground- some wildlife. Its cultural assets nuts and phosphates. Tourism gen- include its peoples, their music, erated about 12,000 jobs directly culture and handicrafts, which all and 18,000 indirectly, and contrib- provide the potential for diversifi- uted 2.5 percent of GDP. cation and expansion of tourism. The sector has provided the base The country's appeal is enhanced for economic growth in the Petite by its relative proximity to Europe Côte, Senegal's principal tourist and warm climate in Europe's win- region, and can be a catalyst for ter, with the added advantage of no other regions. The resort in the jet lag on a north-south route. Petit Côte, originally built around Senegal can also exploit assets a fishing village, Saly, has become that tourists associate with Africa, an international resort. It all such as wildlife, even if the vari- started with a pioneering German ety, habitat, and facilities are not vacation village for the European as good as elsewhere, because for winter market and an anchor ho- many tourists this will be their first tel that is both a winter beach des- visit to sub-Saharan Africa. tination and a fully equipped cen- Recent history shows a sector ter for ocean sports fishing and div- that is growing but also losing mar- ing. Saly has a core of services, ket share in an expanding inter- including shopping, post office and national and regional market. Be- banking, and a number of other tween 1975 and 1997, Senegal Findings hotels and residences that provide dropped from 7th to 16th in the World a critical mass for tourism. Unlike Tourism Organization (WTO) rank- other African tourist destinations, ing of the top twenty tourist desti- Saly has also attracted a local resi- nations in Africa. The annual dential and tourism market. growth rate in visitor numbers Senegal has a variety of first-rate from 1996 to 2000 was 6.7 percent, natural and cultural assets for and for the decade 1990/2000 it was 4.7 percent. This compares tourist expenditures and effec- · Tourism is cross-sectoral and with WTO's estimate that during tively distributes these expendi- multi-disciplinary. It will be essen- the past fifteen years the numbers tures to local communities. tial to involve all levels of society of international tourists worldwide Linkages between tourism and -- and especially those local com- more than doubled to 698 million, other sectors, and concomitantly munities most affected by tourism. and those to Africa increased from the direct and indirect employment Senegal has a good recent track 9.7 million to 26.9 million, an aver- it generates, help add value from record on participatory approaches age annual growth rate of 7 percent. tourism. An essential condition, and the involvement of communi- Air access to Senegal was af- however, is that the mainstream ties is already increasing. Tour- fected in 2001 not just by the tourism sector be healthy for these ism is often justified in Africa events of September 11 but also by linkages to take root and for local based on its potential to ensure en- the termination of operations of Air communities to benefit. Senegal is vironmental and cultural preser- Afrique, Sabena, and Swissair. Air now expected to target "pro-poor" vation. While this is important, access to and from Europe to Paris tourism and generate specific pro- Senegal would gain from looking at is maintained by daily Air France cesses for consultation with local tourism as an economic resource flights and regular flights by Air people or to incorporate them as in itself, to be managed Sénégal International, by the new stakeholders in tourism. sustainably. Effectively managed, Swiss and Brussels Airlines as well Senegal is counting on tourism tourism is an efficient way of re- as the greater use of charters. to contribute to foreign exchange ducing poverty by creating jobs Weekly flights to South Africa have earnings, employment and tax gen- where few alternatives exist. also improved connections with eration, regional development, and · Land is offered in Senegal un- Southern Africa. to stimulate growth and reduce der long-term leases. In practice, Sustainable expansion of tour- poverty alleviation. The govern- many leases to individuals and ism in Senegal's ecological areas ment, in association with other companies are for speculative pur- requires a revision of land-use stakeholders, has adopted a target poses and land is not readily avail- planning and establishment of en- of 1.5 million visitors by the year able for development. Ways must vironmental regulations, particu- 2010. Those targets will require be found to make serviced land larly for the coastal zone. There is adding 20,000 beds throughout the available, preferably through pri- insufficient awareness in Senegal country -- a more than doubling in vate-public partnerships -- in of the growing demand, particu- hotel beds in the ten-year period much the same way as for other larly from Europeans, for "green" from 2000 to 2010. To achieve export sectors under EPZ arrange- tourism. To date, no hotel in these ambitious targets, Senegal is ments. While SAPCO was success- Senegal has earned any interna- seeking to stimulate demand and ful in launching the Petite Côte, tional certification of good environ- attract substantial investment. there may be alternate models for mental management -- e.g., ISO To attract investment, the gov- assuring that land is made avail- 14,001, Green Globe -- in contrast ernment is creating the conditions able in new areas. Provided cash to several rival resort destinations for a sound policy framework for flow is assured and operations are in Africa. tourism. It is strengthening the structured appropriately, there Two major cultural areas -- Ile dialogue between the public and may be private solutions to main- de Gorée and St. Louis -- receive private sectors and local stake- tain existing sites and developing external assistance for their con- holders, and building consensus new ones. servation in order to attract tour- within government on the benefits · Minimum infrastructure platform. ists. Currently, the government is from an expanded tourism sector. Africa is faced with a huge short- exploring ways to protect the live- A sound policy framework for tour- fall in infrastructure services, and lihoods of Senegal's internationally ism will also have positive spin-off Senegal is no exception. The back- renowned musicians and artists effects on the business environ- log cannot be fully met in the short- through legislation to protect their ment. In this context, a number of run and ways must be found to access to royalties. An attractive points are worth mentioning: build essential physical and "soft" range of local handicrafts raises infrastructure through the use of effective framework for channeling sector, including the study of for- appropriate technology, innovative its point of view. This opens the way eign languages. ways of associating the private sec- to addressing the unresolved ques- Controlled expansion would be tor, and adoption of priorities linked tions of destination marketing and encouraged through the master to economic and social sectors. improvements in the service. plans. Pro-poor tourism policies The choice of tourism as a priority · Finally, it is encouraging to would target poverty alleviation. requires that some infrastructure see that Senegal is tackling tour- Cultural assets could be identi- be justified on the basis of tourism ism through tourism plans over the fied and promoted as part of the demand; in any event, infrastruc- next ten to twenty years. tourism product to enrich it and ture built for tourism will be avail- - In the current transition period to expand the beneficiaries of able for multi-sectoral use. (2001­2006), it is improving tourism. Environmental goals of · Support for SMEs and micro-en- policy formulation and dialogue zoning, physical planning, and terprises. Although some anchor between the public and private coastal zone management investments represent major in- sectors, taking appropriate plan- should be pursued and go hand- vestments, many of the industries ning measures, improving tech- in-hand with achievements by supporting tourism are small or nical capacity, and strengthen- the hotel sector in obtaining medium-sized. To this end, a sup- ing its institutions for market- green certification. port system to encourage entrepre- ing and promotion. During this - In the Consolidation Stage neurship and business support ser- stage, Senegal is initiating mas- (2011­2015), Senegal should be vices and systems to facilitate en- ter plans for its main tourism a competitive international tour- try are being encouraged, together areas and setting in motion a ism destination, and as a result with appropriate finance. process to sustain its natural and should have greater bargaining · Negative impacts. In some coun- cultural assets. The institutional power with international tour tries where tourism has grown in framework would be strength- operators, airlines and cruise unfettered ways, there have been ened, and towards the end of the ships as to the prices it charges negative physical and social im- period an investment forum will for use of its facilities. pacts. The former can be addressed be held. through plans that determine car- - In the Expansion Stage (2007­ rying capacity and set limits to 2011), there should be an influx growth; the latter requires a code of investment as a result of the of ethics by all stakeholders. investment forum. During this Senegal is taking measures to cre- stage, the benefits from tourism ate the plans d'aménagement to en- should grow and also be distrib- sure an appropriate framework for This article was written by Iain uted among a broader range of growth and that there is a lively de- Christie, Consultant, Private Sector beneficiaries. Under joint public- bate on maintaining ethical and and Infrastructure Department, private management and with cultural standards (see below). Africa Region, World Bank. For external assistance, data collec- more information, please e-mail · A sound institutional frame- tion could be started and a meth- Ichristie@worldbank.org work is also essential. Senegal has odology designed for preparation experimented with various insti- of a Tourism Satellite Account tutional solutions and moving to- that would provide the sector with wards a balanced public/private a good statistical base and man- approach. Following an innovative agement tool to track its contri- process under the Journées butions, impacts and linkages. nationales de concertation, a space The public and private sectors for continued dialogue has been would jointly evaluate progress created. The private sector is con- on the plan. 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