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Tourism in Africa Madagascar popular according to UNWTO

With a rise in tourist arrivals 20% in Madagascar in 2016, the big island is in the list of l’World Tourism Organization on the country popular in sub-Saharan Africa. This improvement is due to better air and maritime connections in the country.

Tourisme en Afrique Madagascar en vogue selon l’OMT by Hôtel★★★ Restaurant gourmand Coco Lodge Majunga.

Open sky
With the opening of the Malagasy air sky since last year, more than a dozen airlines are now present in Madagascar; Which should lead to a decline in the rate of transport, consider tour operators. For this year, the first figures from the Ministry of tourism on the period from January to April, also portends an excellent tourist season. Indeed, in the first half of the year, the number of arrivals to increased 9% compared to last year, either 28 206 tourists against 26 629 en 2016.

Direct jobs
The performance of the tourism sector 2016 has permits the creation of thousands of jobs in the big island. From the statistics of the Ministry of tourism, 33 778 direct jobs have been created in the hotel sector and the restoration against only 32 693 jobs in 2015. And business travel and tourism services, 7 329 jobs were created against 6 691 jobs in 2015. Last year, the tourism sector has therefore generated a total of 41 107 jobs.

Interests of the destination

ENVIRONMENTAL interest : Madagascar is a sanctuary of nature
One of the main assets of Madagascar is its impressive natural and geological diversity. The separation of the island from the African continent, going back to 65 million years, a “trapped” many endemic species of fauna and flora in large part. Lemurs are the best-known, but the island remains a gigantic biological laboratory where we discover new species every year.
It is often said that the largest island in the Indian Ocean is a real “Sanctuary of nature”. There are more plant of this land of abundance and mineral wealth, Neither the number of endemic species. With, in the background, the great openings of the Tsingy, calcareous massifs, shaped by thousands of years of erosion. Madagascar has fascinated generations of naturalists to the point where some, as Alfred Grandidier, He spent almost all their working lives. The arid Bush of the South to the lush forests of the East, the big island has a variety of altitudes, temperatures, rainfall, which combine the gradients in countless ecological niches. As for wildlife, It differs from that of the nearby African continent by its very high rate of endemism as the largest Butterfly in the world, the comet has two hanging out more than 20 cm, or the large stick insect whose female reached 25 cm. Reptiles and amphibians, 95% some species are endemic ! Chameleons are emblematic of the big island to the same as the lemurs as here to live two-thirds of the known species, from the smallest (less than 10 cm) to the largest (more than 70 cm). Tortoises, disbarred turtle and the soc are endangered species and therefore they have very attentive protection.
Madagascar has three Unesco World Heritage sites : the rainforests of the Atsinanana, divided on the whole of the territory, the Royal Hill of Ambohimanga (ancient city of the Merina Kingdom) and especially the fabulous natural Tsingy of Bemaraha reserve (West) not far from Mahajanga (Majunga), with canyons of 150 to 750 metres, separated by a lace of extremely sharp limestone.
Unfortunately, the tourism infrastructure is not developed at the height of the potential of the environmental heritage of the island. Outside the diving carried out by a few clubs and hiking which remains the flagship activity of the island, nature activities (rafting, Canyoning, paragliders, Quad...) are almost nonexistent due to lack of tourist agency able to provide guidance and to provide the necessary material.

CULTURAL interest
Few destinations are dreaming as Madagascar. The continent island seduced first for the high specificity of his people. The Malagasy identity is forged through an origin of Indonesian settlement to which is added East African influences (Bantu), Persians, Arab, Malay and Indian. One of the main cultural attractions of Madagascar lies in the mosaic of its population. No less than 18 peoples live together on the island, which most have preserved ancestral traditions, What makes a country unique ethnic diversity. Malagasy culture comes largely from other continents. The belief in the - fate - vintana could arise from Islamic Cosmology, While religious symbolism and status conferred upon cattle remind African heritage. It should be added the influences of Christianity that coexists with the traditional beliefs.

Source

By Hôtel★★★ Restaurant gourmand Coco Lodge Majunga

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