Senegal Tour Package

Tour Package to Senegal, Africa

Part One:

Senegal is a country slightly smaller than South Dakota, located on the Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania. The Climate is tropical; hot, humid; the rainy season (May to November) has strong southeast winds; dry season (December to April) is dominated by hot, dry, harmattan wind. The most plenty natural resources are fish, phosphates, iron ore. As of July 2005 the population of Senegal is 11,126,832, growing steadily at a rate of 2.48% per year. The main religion practiced there is Muslim (94%), and the official language is French. Senegal is a country rich in tradition and culture, and there is a lot to do and experience throughout the entire country. This tour package is geared to make our guests relaxed, and educate them about new things through exciting and hands on activities.

Senegal is the in the process of planning and implementing a tourism policy. In 2000 the foreign receipts ranked the tourism sector second in the country behind fishing. The planning and goals for Senegal are set by the Private-Public sector and their goal is to have 1.5 million visitors by 2010, as opposed to the 500,000 people they have coming in and out now. This will require a 300% increase over current tourist arrivals and more than a doubling in hotel rooms. There are also a number of related objectives to raise the quality of the tourism product, and they also want to try to appeal to a higher-income market.

The policy is also geared toward reducing poverty, benefiting communities, and conserving natural resources. The policy is outlined in three five year periods, the transition stage from 2002-2006, the expansion stage from 2007-2011, and the consolidation stage from 2012-2015. There are many outcomes that are expected as a result of implementing this plan. Some of the major ones are improved tourism capacity at all levels of the public and private sectors, with more dialogue between them; better policy formulation and physical planning for an improved economic, environmental, cultural and social management of the tourism sector; greater numbers of the people of Senegal involved at all levels of tourism; improved living standards for poor Senegalese as a result of targeted interventions and the adoption of pro-poor tourism policies by the public and private sectors; a tourism sector that has strong backward and forward linkages within the economy and is a catalyst for growth; and, finally, Senegal becomes a significant, competitive and internationally recognized tourist destination (Crompton, 2004).

The transition stage, or the first five years is when everything will fall into place. The expansion stage is the next five years. After all the policies have been set up and planning has been put into action, the country wants to expand through an influx of development. The strategy that is formed will need to be watched carefully to ensure the continuing improvement. Feedback from tourists will guide the strategy and investment plans. As the consolidation stage begins Senegal should now be a competitive tourism destination. It will have greater bargaining power than before with international tour operators, airlines and cruise ships. It can begin to charge higher prices for use of its facilities.

This is well thought out and planned with the good of the country in mind. The fact that it is centered on having tourism help poor communities and creates jobs is extremely beneficial to the residents of Senegal. The only problem would be making sure that this policy lives up to its expectations. The government and private and public sectors must pay close attention to the plan and make sure it achieves all it says it will. It is a plan that defiantly fosters tourism and plans to protect it once it is established. It will take a while and will be hard work, but the benefits are well worth it. (Crompton, 2004)

National Tourist Offices and National Tourism Administrations are very important to the tourism sectors of countries. The reason for this is that they not only promote the country as a tourist destination, but they also concentrate on the wellbeing of the country and what it has to offer for the tourists. Current activities of Senegal's National Tourist Office include promoting the following types of tourism for their country: resort, nature, business, and cultural tourism.

The NTO's main focus for resort tourism is to concentrate on the diversification of beach use and beach sports, sea related health treatments, golf, cruises, and sport fishing. By promoting their country as the ultimate getaway for these types of activities, it will draw a vast majority of tourists in search of a relaxing holiday.

Nature tourism is also a very important aspect to the tourism industry of Senegal. Because Senegal is a country within Africa, nature is their main attraction. Tourists go there to partake in fishing and wildlife safaris, and therefore it is vital for the NTO to promote nature tourism as a desirable attraction.

Catching the attention of tourists that are interested in activities other than the every day holiday package could be a challenge for the NTO. Business tourism and cultural tourism fall into this category. The main reason for going abroad and visiting a country you are not familiar with has more to do with relaxing on the beach and going to local bars and restaurants. The culture of the community an individual is traveling to is also something that should be taken into account when planning a trip, and therefore the NTO is pushing cultural tourism as a significant section of their tourism industry. Senegal wants to be seen as a more business oriented country as well. The NTO is also focusing on business travel with incentive packages, noteworthy meeting space, and luxury hotels for the business traveler.

Current activities of the National Tourism Administration include the following for tourism in Senegal: 1) A study of tourism's impact on the Senegalese Economy which serve to develop a national tourism strategy and will propose a plan of action compatible with the government's economic and financial policy and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework, and 2) facilitating land access through various studies that are being conducted in order to make it easier for the international tourist to gain entry into the country through various means of transportation.

Transportation in Senegal is widely available but varies in quality. The country has a total of eight different airports. The International Airport of Dakar, also known as Aeroport International Leopold Sedar Senghor Dakar, is the main airport accommodating international flights. The other