Tourism
Extended over 1,200 kilometers from north to south, Cameroon is at the heart of the geographic areas of West, Central, and North Africa. It has an extraordinarily contrasting topography alternating from high and lowlands, a variety of climates, landscapes, and unusual animal species.
Cameroon’s vegetation is a summary of that of Africa with forest, savannah, and steppe in different forms. It is truly a ‘concentrate of Africa’ in a triangle of 478, 000 km2, that will marvel any visitor. Fauna and flora are particularly rich with 409 different species of mammals. 143 reptiles, 849 birds, and 190 amphibians.
Protected areas cover a total area of 4, 551, 900 hectares including 7 national parks 7 wildlife reserves, 27 hunting areas, 1 sanctuary, and 3 zoological gardens. Despite the rich potential, the results of tourism in Cameroon need to be improved.
In 2019, the added value of hotel and restaurant activities was 1.8% down, after 4.3% in 2018. The slowdown in activities is due to the security crises in the North-West, South-West, far North, and the East. The intake capacity increased in 2019 by 4.7% as compared to that of 2018. There are 855 classified establishments which is an increase of 4.4% compared to 2018. The number of bedrooms increased by 2.7% to stand at 21755, owing to the continuation of the construction and refurbishment works of hotels started in the run-up to organising the Africa Cup of Nations.
As part of the development of tourism, 14 tourist sites have been developed among which:
- The construction of administrative structures and boukarous around the lake Tison
- Continued work to access to the banks of Bénoué
- Layout for the Bota site Limbe I.
- The work for the construction of a 4- star hotel of 70 rooms in Garoua and the “Bengo” hotel in Ebolowa has been completed.
Some hotels benefited from state subsidies on the CAN budget for their upgrade. “La vallée de Bana” in Bana and “Tagidor garden” in Bangou, as well as “Saint Hubert” and the Motel “Plaza” in Garoua were hotels that benefited from these subsidies.
In 2019, Cameroon officially had 941 natural historical and cultural sites, most of which are under “crafts and markets”, and “monuments.” There are 481 approved catering establishments, 236 approved leisure establishments, and 296 tourist agencies.
Main Categories of Tourism
The richness of tourism products is based on many attractions thanks to the diversity of tourism resources. Natural, human, and cultural varieties harmonize for the practice of various forms of tourism throughout the year.
- Photo – safari and Hunting Tourism
Cameroon has seven national parks the most famous and developed of them all is the Waza park. The parks have a wide species of animals which represent the African fauna. There are elephants, antelopes, gorillas just to name a few.
Though hunting is prohibited in parks, there are 14 hunting areas which cover over 500 km of groomed trails.
Haunting is allowed from December to May, and it is regulated by the convention that protects endangered species.
- Cultural Tourism
Cameroon is not surnamed Africa in miniature for no reason. The country has nearly 250 ethnic groups who all have different customs and traditions. Tourism is at its best due to the different traditional architecture: folklore, religion, cuisine, crafts, etc. The historical heritage is also rich with monuments and vestiges of the triple colonial legacy of Germany, France, and Britain.
- Mountain Tourism
The mountain range of the West offers a suitable environment with Mount Cameroon which culminates at more than 4 070m. Mount Manengouba at the hinge of the littoral and the Southwest and the Dschang climatic center built on a plateau rising to 1,800m. There are hot springs in Adamawa.
- Seaside Tourism
Cameroon has a coastline of 400km, open to the Atlantic Ocean. The natural beaches of Kribi and Limbe are conducive for seaside tourism.
- Ecotourism
Ecotourism takes place in protected sites and areas such as the Korup National Part, which harbors plants species of over a million years old, Dja Reserve, a World Heritage for humanity, and Mount Cameroon with its very rare flora, and the fossil sites of Mayo-Rey.
- Business Tourism
Thanks to the quality of its reception facilities, including international airports, conference centers and international class hotels, the cities of Yaounde and Douala host every year important congresses attended by businessmen and officials from around the world.
- Sports Tourism
Apart from the football that made Cameroon famous, other sports relating to tourism are developing fishing sports games in Douala, golf courses in Yaounde and Tiki, and annual footing competing uphill of Mount Cameroon, not to mention the equestrian clubs in Yaounde, Douala, and Garoua.
As part of its economic growth strategy, the government of Cameroon has maintained the tourism industry as a priority area for investment. To this end, it has planned to devote nearly EUR 80 million per year between 2019 and 2023 to the development of touristic sites, access to roads, the promotion of Cameroon as a destination, and the improvement of reception capacities. In light of the organization of the African Cup of Nations in 2021, in 2016, the Cameroonian government launched an ambitious plan to support the hotel industry valued at €200 million. The implementation of this plan was delayed by more than two years and is divided into two programs:
- The first involves refurbishing public hotels and building new establishments in secondary cities. Most of these projects have been initiated and are currently being finalized for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
- Secondly, the provision of a grant fund and the establishment of fiscal and customs facilities for private renovation and new construction projects and new buildings. Some projects under this program are still in their preparatory phase.
Despite the Covid-19 effect, investment growth in the hotel sector is expected to remain at around 3% per year over the period 2020-2023, based on a volume of EUR 177m in 2019. The share of FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) in this flow is expected to be 12%, up 2 percentage points from 2018 and up 5% on average annual growth.
Estimates predict in 2023 more than 400 billion Francs for 5 million visiting tourists, with 250 billion from visa fees, 23 billion from airport stamps, and about 133 billion from taxes and other duties paid by tourist companies. For this to happen, companies should first offer quality products tailored to the needs at the time. A better presence of tour operators on the web is, for example, necessary.
The long-overdue boom of the tourism industry in Cameroon could finally happen.