{{The thriving multi-billion dollar industry that is tourism attracts millions of visitors to Africa annually. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Africa increased its international arrivals by six per cent last year to 52 million, exceeding the 50 million mark for the first time.}}
International tourism income receipts on the continent also increased by 6 per cent to reach $34 billion.
Countries such as South Africa, Morocco, Egypt and Mauritius attracted the largest number of tourist visitors in 2012, setting up their economies for a windfall worth billions of dollars. UNWTO shows South Africa, the largest visited destination in the region, grew its numbers by over 10 per cent.
However, according to a UNWTO report and the 2013 African statistical year book released by the African Development Bank (AfDB), many other countries are scraping the bottom of the tourist attraction barrel.
The data suggests an interesting direct correlation between the number of visitors and the percentage of paved routes, linking proper transport infrastructure to the number of tourists a country attracts.
The state of security and political stability is another major factor affecting tourism numbers.
The Africa Review using available data retrieved from various sources compiled a list of African countries that barely have a look-in when tourists are planning their itineraries. South Sudan and Somalia are not featured due to a lack of reliable data.
12:{{Chad – 101,000 visitors (2012), African Statistical Yearbook }}
The Central African country is the fourth largest in Africa and is largely semi-desert. Its low tourist numbers have a lot to do with a history of political instability and violence resulting from differences between the mostly Muslim Arab north and the mainly Christian south. Tensions from neighbouring countries such as Sudan sometimes spill over the border between the two countries.
11:{{Republic of Congo – 92,000 visitors (2012), AfDB stats}}
The Republic of Congo is known for its lowland gorillas and mountain chimpanzees. It also has a UNESCO world heritage site, the Sanga Trinational, which is a potential attraction for tourists.
The country however still remains little known to potential tourists. There is also little tourist infrastructure, with only 1.8 per cent of the country paved, according to data from the AfDB.
10:{{Democratic Republic of Congo – 91,000 visitors (2012), AfDB stats}}
The number of tourists arriving to DR Congo fell from 186,000 in 2011 to 91,000 in 2012, in part due to the instability in the eastern part of the country, earning the country the wrong type of attention.
Tourist attractions there include its diverse habitat, wildlife (especially the mountain gorillas which are cheaper to see than in neighbouring Rwanda) in the well-known but threatened Virunga National Park and erupting volcanic mountains.
9:{{Niger – 82,000 visitors (2012), AfDB stats}}
The west African state is located on the edge of the vast Sahara desert; one of the country’s main tourist attractions. Also, the Gerewol male beauty dance of the nomadic Wodaabe is something African dance aficionados can appreciate.
Fears of Al-Qaeda activity and the frequent kidnapping of foreigners are some of the reasons tourism numbers in the country have remained low. Also, it is also generally little marketed to outsiders as a tourist destination.
8: {{Central African Republic – 57,000 visitors (2012), AfDB stats}}
The country is also not too well known to outsiders. There is very little infrastructure to support tourism; only about 20.3 per cent of the country’s total routes are paved.
Instability and a long history of coups have significantly contributed to this. The country however has breathtaking virgin rainforests as well as elephants and gorillas at the Dzanga-Sangha National Park.
Poachers are taking advantage of the prevailing insecurity since the overthrow of former president Francois Bozize to threaten the elephant population at the Dzanga Bai site.
7: {{Sierra Leone – 54,000 visitors (2012) AfDB stats}}
The country’s turbulent civil war history is probably to blame for its dismal numbers, with outsiders conversant with little else than conflict and diamonds.
It has since the end of the civil war seen some recovery. Attractions include the numerous beaches and the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary. But getting to them is currently difficult as only 9.9 per cent of the country’s total routes are paved.
6: {{Djibouti – 53,000 visitors (2010), UN data}}
Most travellers to Djibouti are usually only passing through the seaside country on their way to Ethiopia or Eritrea.
Things to see there include the salt lake, Lac Assal, which is the lowest point on land in Africa, and the third lowest depression on earth after the Red Sea and the Sea of Galilee.
5: {{Guinea Bissau – 30,000 visitors (2010), UN data}}
Not many tourists are trooping to Guinea Bissau, but not for lack of something to see. The wildlife parks have rare birds and monkeys as well as remote white sandy beaches.
Protracted political turmoil has kept many visitors away, which also means that there are a lot of secluded and virgin tourist attractions such as the Arquipélago Dos Bijagós left unexplored.
4:{{Mauritania – 29,000 visitors (2008), Mauritania Tourism Ministry}}
While the country isn’t very well known for its tourism, the number of those who do visit has dipped even further after reports of kidnapping and the killing of a number of foreigners by Al-Qaeda linked militants.
The 2007 killing of picnicking French tourists dealt a severe blow to the tourism sector. It also led to the cancelling of the 2008 Paris-Dakar rally.
3:{{Comoros– 21,000 visitors (2012), AfDB stats}}
Though a low figure, it is still an improvement on the 15,000 visitors received in 2010. Of the countries featured here, it probably has the highest potential to be a major tourist destination.
The three islands boast gorgeous turquoise beaches and beautiful scenery. But because it receives such few travellers, the islands are very remote and almost untouched. It is also rich in Swahili / Arabian culture. Grande Comore Island has the largest active volcano in the world, Mt. Karthala.
77 % of the island country’s routes are paved. However, few airlines fly to Comoros islands. The country is also very poor with its economy relying heavily on aid and remittances from the diaspora.
2:{{Sao Tome & Principe – 11,000 visitors (2012), AfDB stats}}
The low volumes of visitors here are probably because very few travellers even know that it exists. The Portuguese-speaking island nation has a high potential for tourism that has yet to be realised.
1: {{Equatorial Guinea – 6,000 visitors (2012), World Bank estimate}}
Acknowledgedly a very beautiful country, the low tourism volumes are due to a combination of factors among them tourist ignorance (blame its marketers) and poor infrastructure.
Getting a tourist visa to the west African country is a bureaucratic nightmare, unless you’re American. The industry is however growing, even if still underdeveloped.
What’s to see you ask? Malabo’s striking colonial architecture built by the Spanish, the Pico Malabo volcano, the Monte Alen National Park and Bata’s beautiful undeveloped beaches.
source: NMG
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