Tourism
SECTOR PROFILE
Traditionally focused on the beach and business, in recent years we have seen the development of niche products. There are four main tourist products, with however a strong predominance of beach tourism (54% of the offer) and business tourism (33% of the offer). The tourist destination "Senegal" has been built around business and congress tourism.
Dakar has positioned itself as the gateway to West Africa for congress and business tourism, given its privileged geographical position. The capital is well positioned in this niche thanks to its mild climate, its exceptional location and the dynamism of its diplomacy.
The tourist areas with a large capacity are Dakar (business tourism and beach resorts), Thiès (beach resorts), particularly the small coast, Casamance (eco-tourism and beach resorts), Tambacounda (hunting and discovery tourism), Fatick (eco-tourism) and Saint-Louis (cultural tourism and beach resorts).
It has gradually developed around the major tourist resorts of Senegal, a very important support infrastructure making this sector one of the pillars of the country's development.
COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES
- 300 days of sunshine per year;
- 5 hours flight from the major European emitting market;
- 500 km of beaches;
- 700 km of coastline;
- Development of new sites underway on the small coast;
- Segment with strong growth in recent years and good development opportunities;
- Improved urban mobility on major roads;
- Important natural assets with coastal, river and terrestrial ecosystems;
- Richness of biodiversity;
- Six (06) national parks;
- Four (04) nature reserves;
- Strong development of niches such as discovery tourism and sport fishing.
STRATEGIC POSITIONING OF SENEGAL
The tourism sector offers a wide range of opportunities in different sectors and activities, notably the development of tourist areas, hotels and restaurants, tourist transport, capacity building and services, the organisation of conferences and congresses, leisure and sports activities, etc.
The new positioning of Senegal's tourism development is based on a national strategy of increasing the offer and the quality. It is also based on sustainability, with environmental, biophysical and social issues being taken into account from the initial project design phase.
The tourism sector offers a wide range of opportunities in various fields, including the development of tourist areas, hotels and restaurants, leisure activities, etc.
Key opportunities that exist include :
- Establishment of 3-6 integrated and targeted tourism developments around clear segments (beach, cultural/religious, business, eco-tourism), with a rich, diversified and specific product offer for the targeted segment(s);
- Development of the air and city trip offer in Dakar and its peripheral zone;
- Redevelopment of Saly with the development of domestic tourism;
- Development of Niokolo-Koba and development of an eco-tourism/ hunting tourism offer (safari).
- Development of new generation tourist resorts: i. Joal-Finio: an 800-metre long island to be developed with a 250-room hotel, a commercial area, an ecological garden, etc. ii. Pointe Sarène: 110 ha to be developed with five (05) hotels with a total capacity of 1600 rooms, 120 top-of-the-range villas, a nautical base, etc.iii. Mbodiène: 504 ha to be developed with four (04) hotels, shopping centres, golf courses, an amusement park, etc.
- Tourist facilities (hotels, resorts, restaurants)
- Training institutes
Cultural and recreational infrastructures
