MADAGASCAR-TOURISM Political instability, woeful air links hobble Madagascar tourism prospects

Record ID: 145353

  • Title: MADAGASCAR-TOURISM Political instability, woeful air links hobble Madagascar tourism prospects
  • Date: 3rd August 2015
  • Summary: ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR (RECENT) (REUTERS) HILLS AROUND LEMUR PARK LEMUR'S PARK ENTRANCE TOURIST WALKING INSIDE PARK VARIOUS OF TOURISTS TAKING PICTURES OF LEMURS VARIOUS OF LEMURS IN TREES MORE OF PARK AND LEMURS IN TREES TOURIST TAKING PICTURES LEMURS IN TREE (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOANINA RAKOTOMAMONJY, PARK GUIDE SAYING: "In 2008, the tourism in Madagascar was very hig
  • Embargoed: 18th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Madagascar
  • Country: Madagascar
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA9PYA3U0F68JCHHZFNP3XJO1XJ
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Perched on a muddy bank of a river meandering through rolling green hills, the Lemurs' Park near Madagascar's capital is rated one of the city's top attractions but that would be hard to glean from the number of visitors.
    Madagascar's mix of exotic plants and animal life has long been a tourist draw.
    Tourists used to flock to the Lemurs' Park in their hundreds but today, the park attracts only a handful of tourists in a month.
    Tour operators blamed the latest tourism drop on a month-long strike at state-run Air Madagascar, which led to grounding of all domestic flights and mass tourist cancellations.
    But some industry players say the long-term trend has been just as concerning.
    "In 2008, the tourism in Madagascar was very high. But there is political trouble since 2009 so the tourists become less and less," said park guide, Toanina Rakotomamonjy, referring to a 2009 coup which scared off tourists and ravaged Madagascar's economy.
    With Madagascar's vital mining industry hobbled by low commodity prices on global markets, the new government has put reviving tourism at the forefront of its plans to spur economic growth and job creation in one of the world's poorest nations.
    Touting its dense tropical rainforests, vast barrier reefs, and unique fauna and flora as a biological wonderland, officials hope one million tourists will flock to the island by 2020, a five-fold increase on 2014 and more than double the 2008 peak, when some 380,000 people visited the former French colony.
    But to grow the industry, Madagascar must first fix a poorly-run state airline and a toxic political system which breeds instability - two common problems smothering tourism in the world's fourth largest island.
    So far that has not gone well. In May, lawmakers impeached President Hery Rajaonarimampianina, whose election in late 2013 was heralded as a new start for Madagascar's tourism industry.
    Rajaonarimampianina overturned the impeachment vote in the constitutional court but a few weeks later lawmakers nearly toppled his government in a censure vote, unnerving investors who fear the island may be engulfed by more political chaos.
    Progress in fixing the state-run airline has also been scant.
    A month-long strike by Air Madagascar staff had brought the industry to its knees and added to long-standing grievances with a loss-making airline which has a reputation for chaotic delays.
    Tour operators who gripe about Air Madagascar's de facto monopoly on domestic flights have called for government help. They say tourists are turned off by pricey international flights to the vast island, where costs rack up as dismal roads force most visitors to take several more expensive internal flights.
    Tourism minister Ulirich Andriantiana said the government, reeling from the strikes, wants to "liberalise" the skies by introducing more competition.
    "The choice we should do is just to liberalise the air transportation, liberalise for some (foreign) companies involving the domestic transportation," he added.
    The government has held talks with Kenya Airways and Air France to introduce new international routes that would open up markets in Africa, Asia and north America, he added.
    In the meantime Madagascar's unique ecosystems still manage to attract some visitors who think the rich natural diversity presents opportunities for growth.
    "I'm a geographer, and I'm interested in sustainable development, in sustainable tourism, and Madagascar is a very enchanting place, and one of the things our efforts are concerned are the opportunities for sustainable tourism, especially in reference to what is known as the Tanda Tula model, for facilitating local community development," said one tourist, Michael Devivo.
    Until now, Madagascar has marketed itself to adventure travellers as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit what travel books call a "modern-day Noah's Ark", a reference to estimates that about 80 percent of its plantlife can not be found elsewhere on the planet.
    But analysts say that Madagascar competing for high-end tourists who flock to Seychelles and Mauritius, two neighbouring Indian Ocean islands famed for azure waters and white sandy beaches, will prove tricky.
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