Gabon plans to invest FCFA 21.6 billion in tourism by 2026

Despite its enormous potential, Gabon has yet to benefit fully from the financial spin-offs of the global tourism industry. The development of this sector remains embryonic, and its contribution to the national economy is still marginal, representing around 4% of GDP.

Gabon plans to devote 21.6 billion FCFA by 2026 to the development of its tourism sector, according to the National Development Plan for Transition (PNDT). This budget aims to make tourism a vector for poverty reduction and economic development in the country's rural regions. Priority will be given to sustainable tourism, with the aim of developing a concrete national tourism offer and attracting over 600,000 arrivals each year by 2029.

8 projects are to be financed under Le Nouveau Gabon, including the development of infrastructure and the upgrading of tourism facilities, the promotion of religious tourism, the enhancement of theAlmamy Samory Touré Island, the construction of the Cap Océan hotel, the creation of a wildlife park, and the implementation of a project to identify zones of tourist interest (ZIT).

Priority actions for the 2024-2026 period also include the drafting of a tourism code, the facilitation of tax and customs regimes and access to land for tourism investors, the reorganization of the tourism administration on a territorial level, and the creation of a new tourist zone.tourism administration at territorial level, restructuring of the tourism offering, visa exemption for target markets, promotion and marketing of destination Gabon, and the creation of a tourism financing fund.

The Gabonese authorities thus hope to develop the tourism sector to enhance its contribution to the national economy. The country has great potential, with 80% of the world's best-preserved tropical rainforest, home to a rich biodiversity. It boasts a unique flora and fauna, with the highest concentration of forest elephants in Africa, as well as numerous species of birds, reptiles and mammals. This natural heritage is showcased in the 13 national parks created in 2002 as part of a proactive policy to preserve biodiversity.

Source: www.agenceecofin.com/