Facts I learned in Eco-Tourism Conference this past week. They were given by various departments of the Senegalese government, though we don't know how the information was collected and if any of it can be substantiated.
1) 800,000 potential tourists entered Senegal last year but only 34% spend the night.
2) 90% of tourists to Africa go to the Northern, Eastern, and Southern regions. 10% of tourists go to the Western and Central regions.
3) 50% of tourists come to Senegal for the beach.
4) 30% of tourists stay in Dakar; 30% stay in Thies.
5) Senegal plans to have capacity for over 2,000,000 visitors by 2020. 1,500,000 by 2015.
6) Tourism grows by 5% a year, but eco-tourism grows by 20 -34% a year.
7) Hotels are currently at 35% bed capacity now but expansion of hotels and resorts, etc continues in Senegal. Break even is at 30% bed capacity.
8) Bed capacity is a unit of measuring that comes from African culture of sharing everything. (Americans rent by the room, and then fill rooms). Rooms are rented by person by night, though you will get your own room if travelling alone.
9) 481 guides in Senegal have official government certification to be a guide.
10) 10 types of eco-tourism certifications exists for the lodging industry; 3 unique to Africa.
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