Ivory Coast: young entrepreneurs revive local tourism

2023-05-18 22:24:52
Since the global health crisis linked to the coronavirus pandemic, the domestic tourism sector in Côte d’Ivoire has experienced a boom. It is carried by a new generation of tourism professionals who have taken advantage of social networks to generate interest, and ultimately, to create their business selling tourist circuits. Encounter. From our correspondent in Abidjan, “At the beginning, it was really social networks: Instagram, Facebook…” Young student, Aymard Zouzoua Landry posts photos and videos of his trips to Côte d’Ivoire, which he organizes originally with limited resources. The entrepreneur recounts the genesis of his project: “People started to say to me: ‘Ah, but Landry, why don’t you create an agency like that, you make us travel and everything, something a little professional, etc. Because we can’t travel the way you describe.” Because in my blog, I described a little bit the rustic side, taking public transport. There are people who wanted to travel, but in a more professional, easier way. It is in this sense that I started to do personalized group outings. Today, Aymard Zouzoua Landry is followed by more than 36,000 people on Instagram, and has developed “Abidjan Le Rempart”, a company responsible for organizing private stays in all regions of the country. “These are things that did not exist before us. We came with our creativity, our ideas, our innovations, and we offered a service that pleased Ivorians and foreigners,” he says. ► To read also: Southwest Ivorian, the new tourist eldorado: crazy rumor in Niega (1/3) A new generation Like Landry, Maïmouna Coulibaly began by documenting her travels on social networks. Today, his agency Moon Drive employs five full-time people and 50 non-permanent collaborators. “When I arrived in the tourism sector, few young people were promoting Côte d’Ivoire,” she recalls. Today, young people everywhere are interested in it. It means that we have achieved something: to give hope to these young people and above all to show them that we have a beautiful country that should be known. ► To read also: South-West Ivorian, the new tourist eldorado: crazy rumor in Niega (2/3) These new tourism players have been meeting for four years within the “Apéro Tourisme 225”, a way to share experiences . The Ministry of Tourism now wants to regulate the sector by granting licenses to these new travel agencies. An approach that these professionals welcome. “It is important to structure this sector, especially at the level of young people who have just made their entrances, believes Maïmouna Coulibaly. Before, it was very well structured, with classic travel agencies, tour operators… But if there are new entrants who have another way of presenting the tourist thing, there obviously have to be rules or laws to support these activities and allow them to flourish. In Côte d’Ivoire, the tourism sector contributes 5% of GDP. The authorities hope to increase this share to 7% of GDP. 270,000 people have jobs related to tourism. ► To read also: Southwest of Côte d’Ivoire, the new tourist eldorado: saving the ecosystem of Fresco and its lagoon (3/3)
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