Senegal: Eye on ecotourism

In the wake of the country’s declaration to strengthen the protection of its national parks, Dakar will host an upcoming UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) conference that aims to increase financing for ecotourism projects throughout West Africa.

The conference, which will be held on May 27 and 28, is jointly hosted by the UNWTO, the Senegalese government and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to help raise donor interest and mobilise capital for cross-border ecotourism developments in 10 West African countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Sierra Leone.

The central focus of the conference – which will outline funding proposals for specific needs such as park ranger training, basic infrastructure, microfinance support and sustainable energy – is the West Africa Parks Project, a regional framework for improving niche tourism offerings while protecting the environment and providing employment. The programme aims to take a broader approach to the establishment of seven specific protected areas in the 10 designated countries, by merging and integrating them at the regional level.

Given the impressive biodiversity of the West African region, which ranges from the dusty arid regions of the Sahel to verdant tropical forest along the coast, ecotourism offers a significant opportunity for growth and allows traditional tourism markets – such as Senegal – to diversify their offerings.

Senegal is already a well-established tourism destination within the region, although there is significant scope for further growth. The second-largest source of foreign currency, tourism is a key contributor to the domestic economy. World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) figures put the sector’s expected direct contribution for 2011 at CFA378.8bn (€577.48m), or around 5.6% of total GDP, with the indirect contribution even higher, at CFA841.6bn (€1.28bn), or 12.4% of GDP. The industry is also a top employer, accounting for 133,000 jobs directly and 305,000 indirectly. Spending is nearly evenly split between business and leisure, with leisure contributing 51.6% and business 48.4%.

However, there are constraints on the sector which have limited growth, including increased competition from other destinations. While Senegal has 700 km of sandy beaches and an agreeable climate for sun-worshippers, so too do an increasing number of countries, many of which, such as Turkey, are equally accessible from major European markets. A statement by Thierno Lô, minister of tourism and handicrafts, to local financial magazine Reussir last year highlighted the need for Senegal to diversify. “It is necessary that we go beyond resorts, because ultimately beautiful hotels, beaches and the sun can be found everywhere. We think that it is necessary that we work to discover our cultural heritage and history,” Lô said.

As a result, the government is increasingly turning to ecotourism as a sustainable alternative to Senegal’s traditional resort segment. The country already has established several nature reserves, including the world’s third-largest bird sanctuary, the Parc National des Oiseaux du Djoudj, and more recently, it has dedicated several billion CFA to the National Parks Authority to improve conservation efforts at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Niokolo-Koba.

Initiatives such as the West Africa Parks Project will undoubtedly help spur increased investment in the relevant areas. One of the primary goals of ecotourism is to pull in visitors from beach resorts and urban centres and create a revenue stream for local communities without unduly disrupting the existing environment, which is why microfinance is a crucial part of the UNWTO programme.

Senegal already has a few examples of successful ecotourism developments, offering environmentally friendly accommodation in rural communities, such as the Keur Bamboung Ecolodge, a collection of eight huts along the Saloum Delta, powered by renewable energy, stocked with local produce and staffed by nearby residents. One-third of the revenue from the project is diverted towards community education and health initiatives, while another portion is devoted to upkeep of the surrounding conservation area.

The country also boasts a microfinance fund dedicated solely to sustainability and ecotourism projects, the nongovernmental Senegal Ecovillage Microfinance Fund (SEM Fund), which has dispersed hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of loans to more than 40 different rural communities throughout the nation.

However, the development of this niche sector is still very much in its early stages and there is sizeable scope for growth, which will likely be realised as the government seeks to lessen its dependency on traditional tourism offerings and better leverage some of its more unique attributes. Given the room for further cross-border collaboration in the region, the UNWTO conference offers the potential to help spur greater investment and integration in what promises to be a potentially lucrative and sustainable sector.