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2.2. The Africa tourism context
2.2.2. Tourism assets in West Africa
Increasing importance of sustainable tourism has become imperative to West Africa as a regional economic community. In West Africa, tourism is an increasingly crucial activity contributing to economic growth and social development. The tourism industry has grown considerably in the last few years. It offers one of the greatest diversity and density of tourists‟ attractions in terms of landscapes, countryside and major historical cities. The rich heritage of West Africa and its great natural assets allow the development of various destinations and products such as cultural and historical, coastal or mountainous, sport or religious, thermal or gastronomic, business, and shopping tourism. The industry also renders a large number of tourism services and facilities such as hotels, bars and restaurants, leisure parts, sports centres, and museums all over the region. These services remain extremely diversified in each thematic area, from a luxurious hotel to a mountain refuge (Ige and Odularu, 2008).
West Africa is blessed with enormous ethnic diversity and a multifarious natural and cultural heritage characterised by deep-rooted traditions and generally harmonious cultural interaction. Among the factors that have had a positive impact on tourism in West Africa in recent years, are improvements in political stability, simplification of entry formalities, improved air services, adoption of harder-hitting tourism promotion policies and improved facilities (hotels and travel agencies) (Euromonitor International, 2010). Some specific country examples are mentioned in the following paragraphs.
Burkina Faso: A remarkable feature of Burkina Faso is the harmonious coexistence of over 60 ethnic groups bound by deep-rooted cultural links. The tradition of hospitality in the country is in part a reflection of this heritage. This cultural base has been the catalyst for numerous events designed to enhance and preserve local heritage and provide a sound basis for a nation founded on equitable inputs from all the components of its society. Having succeeded in preserving its diversity, Burkina Faso offers a wide variety of cultural manifestations evenly spread across the national territory as a whole. This cultural range goes hand in hand with diversity in terms of housing, landscape, archaeological sites and fauna.
Hunting represents a major tourist attraction in the December-May period.
Cultural sites in Burkina Faso include: the vestiges of the Yatenga kingdom, notably Ouahigouya and Gourcy; the archaeological sites at Gandé Fabou and Pobé Mengao. The historic sites include: historic battle site of Bama, Noumoudara and Loropéni; the sanctuary
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of the Gan kings, and ruins evidence of the organisation of the Mossi kingdoms. Also of importance are sacred sites (the sacred crocodile pool), the impressive buildings of Kassena and Nankana in the south, the Gourounsi cultures, the landscapes of Sindou and Néguéni, with their peaks and a hill. At regional level, every two years since the late 1960s, Burkina Faso has been host to the Pan African Film and Television Festival (FESPACO) and, since the early 1980s, the International Arts and Crafts Fair (SIAO), both in Ouagadougou. In addition, the Ouagadougou International Book Fair (FILO) has just celebrated its fourth anniversary. The expanding craft sector includes textiles (weaving, dyeing, embroidery and sewing), wood (carpentry, cabinet making), agribusiness (soap making, catering, dried fruit and vegetables, cereals), leather goods, basketry and metalworking. Skinner, Niasse and Haas (2009) note that the notorious large hydro agricultural dam in Bagré has been upgraded to ecotourist centre.
Cape Verde: The Cape Verde‟s natural heritage comprises a large number of sites including the Fogo volcano, the Pico das Caldeiras, the Fontainhas plateau, the Serra Malagueta and the Topo de Martim. There are numerous processions and rituals founded on a host of popular beliefs in which dances and songs (morna, caldeira, funana, contredanse, mazurka, waltz, batuque, cola-san-jon, samba de carnaval, tabanca, ballads) play a major part. The best-known festivals are the Gamboa Festival, held in May on the beach at Santa Maria (Santiago), the Festival de Santa Maria (Sal) in September, the Sete Sois e Sete Lucas Festival (Santo Antao) in October and the Fesquintal, held in Praia, the capital in April-May.
Other festivals include the famous Bandeiras, with drumming and a horse race, the Cola-San Jon and the Tabanca. Craft output remains limited but varied in such fields as ceramics, basketry, weaving, sculpture and painting. The country's most significant tourist features are the fortress at São Filipe, the Sé Cadedra ruins in Cidade Vehla, the statue of Diego Gomez, the Resistance Museum, the Presidential Palace, the Amilcar Cabral Memorial and the ruins of the São Francisco Convent. "Bila Baxo", the lower part of the city of São Filipe, on Fogo,
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Ghana: With a wide range of places of interest, several of which have UNESCO World Heritage status, Ghana enjoys a unique tropical ecosystem, numerous virgin beaches along its 540 km of coastline, and national parks like the one at Kakum. Cultural tourism focuses on forts and castles dating as far back as the 14th century, traditional festivals, burial ceremonies, museums and sanctuaries, notably in the south of the country. Given their significance and importance in the history of mankind, the old slave routes are now subject to preservation measures. Ghana is probably the only country to offer such a concentration of forts and castles built down through the centuries by the Portuguese, Dutch, Danes, Germans, Swedes and English. Examples worth citing are the castles of Elmina, Saint-Georges and Cape Coast, the Saint-Jago fort and the palace and museum at Manhyia. Other assets include the traditional Ashanti buildings (ATA, 2010a).
Ghana also offers avenue to visit archaeological sites like Yikpabongo in the north region, and Hani and Kintampo in the western region. Among the major modern tourist attractions is the Kwame Nkrumah mausoleum, a tribute to the founder of the nation. There are numerous rites of initiation and puberty and wedding celebrations. Funerals are cultural and touristic highpoint in that they are social occasions marked by music and dancing. Traditional crafts are a major aspect of life in Ghana and a real tourist attraction. The country has a tradition of gold mining and art craft has long been a feature of their cultural heritage. Examples are wooden stools (the famous Ashanti "thrones") and the message sticks and drums once used for communication, royal ceremonies and musical entertainment. Items in brass and gold, ceramics and kente cloth are now well known. Goufrani (2010b) explains that in the multicolour Ghana‟s Kente, Gold stands for status and serenity; Yellow symbolises fertility and vitality; Green indicates the cycle of birth and decay; Blue characterises the presence of God and the omnipotence of the blue sky; Red stands for the passion of political determination, struggle and defense; while Black depicts union with ancestors. Africa Travel Magazine (ATA, 2010b) describes Ghana as „the smile of the face of Africa.‟ The first indication of government interest in developing the tourism industry in Ghana was a feasibility study conducted in 1970 on the development of tourist attractions for a five-year development plan, 1972 to 1976 by Obuan Committee, set up in 1972.
Following the study, the Ghana Tourist Board (GTB) was established in 1973 to implement national tourism policies and coordinate tourism activities. GTB was saddled with the responsibility of regulating accommodation, catering, travel, transport and charter operations
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through registration, inspection, licensing, classification, and enforcement of decisions. GTB was also charged with the responsibility of promoting and market tourism in Ghana and abroad, to conduct studies and research into trends in the tourism industry at home and abroad to aid decision and policymaking, to promote the development of tourist facilities, and to carry out functions that might be conferred on it by legislative instruments. Consequently, the Ministry of Tourism (MOT) was established in 1993 to formulate policies and plan for the development and promotion of domestic, regional, and international tourism. In 1995 MOT, with assistance from UNDP and the World Tourism Organisation (WTO), now known as UNWTO, prepared and introduced a 15-year National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP, 1996 to 2010) to stimulate growth and development of the tourism industry (Addo, 2011).
Mali: Mali is endowed with historical significance and blessed with extraordinary array of sights. Its natural wonders range from the deserts of the north to the fertile greenery of the south. Mali has always been a centre of attraction for foreigners, enjoying a reputation for hospitality that makes it a focal point for fruitful dialogue and interchange. Its list of distinguished visitors includes Ibn Battutah, Leo Africanus, René Caillé and Heinrich Barth.
The mysterious Timbuktu is a crossroads for the Targui, Songhai, Bella and Arab cultures;
ancient social and religious traditions like mask dances and divination games at Sangha, Ireli, Guimini and Kani-Kombole. According to West Africa Directory (2009), the ancient town of Timbuktu is one of Mali‟s four UNESCO world heritage sites, famous for its religious monuments like the Dingarey Bey Mosque. Timbuktu became an intellectual and spiritual centre of Islam in the 15th and 16th centuries, with a famous university that has over 25,000 students. Presently, there are over 700,000 manuscripts in Timbuktu libraries, many dated as far back as 12th and 16th centuries.
Niger: Straddling the Sahel and the Sahara, Niger is a link between North and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Some events, like the International Festival of African Fashion (FIMA),
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Nigerien crafts has led to several prizes at the International Arts and Crafts Fair (SIAO) in Burkina Faso.
Senegal: Tourism is one of Senegal's main sources of income. Cape Skirring is one of the best-known beaches. The Petite Côte offers many tourist sites, among them Saly, whose bay, the subregion's largest beach resort, offers many luxury hotels and a wide choice of holiday activities including fishing, golf, horseriding, cruises and microlighting. The Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary, the third largest in the world and a UNESCO world heritage site. On the borders of Mali and Guinea, Eastern Senegal includes the vast Niokolo-Koba National Park, also a listed UNESCO world heritage site. Since the first „Festival des Arts Nègres‟ in April 1966, Senegal has become a leading light in the various artistic fields: cinema, literature, music, the visual arts and other contemporary artistic ventures (ATA, 2010b).
Guinea: Given its big size and population of just 7.5 million, Guinea is described as the land of contrasts with its romantic, captivating Malinke music classically applauded everywhere in the world. One of the most known tourist attractions in Guinea (also called Guine Conakry to distinguish it from Guinea Bissau) is Mount Kaloulima, referred to in French language as “Le Chien Qui Fume” meaning the Smoking Dog. Also referred to as the Switzerland of Africa, Guinea has superfluous mountains and high plateaus (Goufrani, 2010a).
Benin: Benin is a great nation in West Africa with the size of Pennsylvania, Dubai. World has partnered with the government to develop a large-scale tourist attraction (Dubai World Africa‟s Beachfront Development) in the West African country. The master plan includes a 32 km beachfront development as well as an international hotel in the capital city of Port Novo (Bird, 2010b). Existing interesting places for exploration include the Afro-Brazilian heritage of Ouidah and Port Novo, the palm-fringed beach idyll of the Atlantic coast, the Parc National de la Pendjari.