Visit the Senegal
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Senegal, in long form the Republic of Senegal, is a state inWest Africa.
It is bordered by theAtlantic Ocean to the west, Mauritania to the north-northeast, Mali to the east-southeast, Guinea to the southeast and Guinea-Bissau to the south-southwest. The Gambia forms a virtual enclave in Senegal, penetrating more than 302 km inland. The Cape Verde Islands are located 560 km from the Senegalese coast.
The country owes its name to the river that borders it to the east and north and which originates in the Fouta-Djalon region of Guinea. The climate is tropical and dry with two seasons: the dry season and the rainy season.
Senegal is part of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Integrated into the main bodies of the international community, Senegal is also a member of theAfrican Union (AU), the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CES), theInternational Organization of the Francophonie and theOrganization of Islamic Cooperation.
Senegal’s tourism policy
The Emerging Senegal Plan (ESP), supported by the Senegalese authorities at the highest level, is “the reference for economic and social policy in the medium and long term”. His vision is that of an “emerging Senegal
Senegal emerging by 2035 with a society based on solidarity and the rule of law”.
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The PES is based on three strategic axes, namely
– Axis 1: Structural transformation of the economy and growth ;
– Axis 2: Human Capital, Social Protection and Sustainable Development ;
– Axis 3: Governance, Institutions, Peace and Security.
In concrete terms, the path to emergence is materialized by the implementation of a new development model that focuses on wealth and job creation, strengthening governance and promoting strategic sectors including tourism.
Indeed, tourism is expected to play an important role in achieving these objectives, given its ability to structure the economy, generate foreign currency, income and employment.
- Tourism in the PES
- Vision and strategic directions
Senegal’s ambition is to promote an ethical
tourism, competitive and contributing sustainably to its economic emergence
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Through the strategic guidelines, the overall objective of the tourism policy is to enable the country to reach the milestone of 3,000,000 tourists in 2023, with an intermediate target of 2,000,000 in 2018.
It will be, in the long run, to :
- To place Senegal in the top 5 tourist countries in Africa, by tripling the number of tourists: more than 3 million tourists per year;
- To use tourism as a vector of social and territorial development, through the promotion and creation of tourist micro-enterprises;
- To become the leading air hub in the region with traffic increasing from two million passengers per year to five million.
Thus, in order to achieve these objectives, the chosen strategy is based on the following axes:
Axis 1: Development of the tourist offer
- Increase accommodation capacity by 25,000 beds;
- Strengthen the capacities of the actors;
- Improve the product environment (reception, safety, sanitation);
- To improve the accessibility of tourist sites (air, road and sea);
- Develop innovative products (ecotourism);
- Increase local tourism benefits;
- Provide the sector with a sustainable financing mechanism;
Axis 2: Adapted tourism promotion
- Provide the sector with appropriate governance mechanisms and tools;
- To considerably strengthen and diversify the means dedicated to promotion;
- Increase the effectiveness of tourism promotion strategies
Axis 3: Reorganization/reform of tourism governance
- Improve the training system
- Improve the competitiveness of the destination;
- Improve sector governance.
In an operational way, the PES has identified “
the Development of integrated tourist areas
“and the ”
micro-tourism program
“among the flagship projects and priorities to be implemented in the first wave.
In the implementation of these priority projects of the “Tourism” component, emphasis will be placed on :
- Control of the land;
- the development of tourist sites;
- the implementation of adapted financing (hotel credit);
- a more aggressive promotion policy (tour operators);
- Strengthening human resources and safety training, improving regulations;
- good environmental management;
- content development (cultural, crafts).
The tourist assets of Senegal
- Political stability
- Tradition of hospitality
- 700km of coastline and beach
- Permanent sunshine
- A diversified tourist offer
- A rich cultural and natural heritage
- Proximity to the issuing markets (5 hours flight time on average)
- A natural air hub
- A civil aviation system that meets safety and security standards
- Development of road, maritime, airport and railway infrastructures