Madagascar welcomes tourists with open arms after plague
The message after a UNWTO crisis meeting in London today was: Travel and Tourism to Madagascar is open again. Plague is history. Madagascar is ready to welcome tourists with open arms again. It was a day of relief today for Madagascar tourism and Roland Ratsiraka at the ongoing World Travel Market in London.
The Hon. Roland Ratsiraka, minister of tourism for the Indian Ocean island nation, had maneuvered through a tremendous problem after a plague outbreak. Today, fellow ministers and health officials, as well as the UNWTO, gave him a green light.
His island has a wealth to offer. The country is home to thousands of animal species, such as lemurs, found nowhere else, plus rainforests, stunning beaches, and reefs.
As of today, Madagascar is ready to welcome international tourists again. According to Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, there is no more danger for a visitor to experience this beautiful Indan Ocean island country.
At 7:00 pm, ministers from the neighboring countries including Mauritius, Seychelles, Mauritius, and Kenya debated for 2 hours, and told eTN a joint statement would be issued shortly.
Madagascar is a member of the Vanilla Islands Tourism Organization and UNWTO.
The Hon. Minister Roland Ratsiraka told eTN that his nation is safe to be visited.
UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai had visited Madagascar recently together with a high-level UNWTO delegation to express the organization’s full support to the tourism sector. Madagascar’s tourism was facing a challenging situation following a plague outbreak which has prompted some countries to implement travel restrictions with Madagascar. Mr. Rifai recalled the World Health Organization (WHO) advises no restriction on travel or trade to Madagascar.
Rifai explained today that modern health security procedures are in place in Madagascar. The body temperature for every arriving or departing airline passenger is taken (high body temperature is a clue the person may be infected).
Mr. Ratsiraka told eTN the crisis is over. He said: “What they need now are tourists.”
Maurice Loustau-Lalanne, Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine for the Seychelles, announced Air Seychelles is expected to resume services to Madagascar shortly.
The Hon. Anil Kumarsingh Gayan, Minister of Tourism for Mauritius, voiced his support and said there are no longer any restrictions in place to travel from or to Mauritius to Madagascar.
Fatuma Hirsi Mohamed, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Tourism for Kenya, also had no objection to giving an all-clear for Madagascar.
Madagascar is open for tourism business.
Madagascar has been experiencing a large outbreak of plague affecting major cities and other non-endemic areas since August 2017
UNWTO: International tourism on track for a record year
Demand for international tourism remained strong during the Northern Hemisphere summer peak season. International tourist arrivals in July and August totalled over 300 million for the first time ever according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. Many destinations reported double-digit growth, in particular in the Mediterranean.
Between January and August 2017, destinations worldwide welcomed 901 million international tourist arrivals (overnight visitors), 56 million more than in the same period of 2016. This corresponds to a robust 7% increase, well above the growth of previous years. With upbeat prospects for the remaining months of the year, 2017 is set to be the eighth consecutive year of continued solid growth for international tourism.
Results reflect the sustained growth in many destinations combined with the recovery of those suffering from security challenges in recent years.
By UNWTO regions, growth was strongest in Africa (+9%) and Europe (+8%), followed by Asia and the Pacific (+6%), the Middle East (+5%) and the Americas (+3%).
This strong performance is confirmed by experts from around the world surveyed for the UNWTO Confidence Index, who evaluated the May-August period very positively. Prospects for the last four months of 2017 remain also buoyant according to the experts consulted.
“Tourism is a major economic engine and employment generator, contributing to the improvement of livelihoods of millions of people around the world” stated UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai in London, ahead of the World Travel Market.
“As we draw to the end of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, we must reflect on how to manage tourism in a responsible and sustainable way beyond 2017. Maximizing the social and economic benefits of tourism while minimizing any negative impacts on host communities and the environment should remain at the forefront of our efforts in the years to come, with policy-makers, companies and travelers all contributing to this shared objective,” Mr. Rifai added.
Regional Results
In Europe (+8%), international arrivals rebounded in both Southern and Mediterranean Europe (+12%) and Western Europe (+7%) following a weak 2016. Arrivals grew by 6% in Northern Europe and by 4% in Central and Eastern Europe between January and August 2017.
Africa (+9%) recorded the fastest growth of all five regions, thanks to the strong rebound in North Africa (+15%) and the sound results of Sub-Saharan Africa (+5%).
South Asia (+10%) led growth in Asia and the Pacific (+6%), followed by South-East Asia (+8%) and Oceania (+7%), while results in North-East Asia (+3%) were rather mixed.
Most destinations in the Americas (+3%) continued to enjoy positive results, led by South America (+7%), followed by Central America and the Caribbean (both +4%). In North America (+2%), robust results in Mexico and Canada contrast with a decrease in the United States, the region’s largest destination.
Results in the Middle East (5%) are mixed, with some destinations strongly rebounding from negative growth in previous years, while others reported declines through August.
Strong outbound demand from major source markets, rebound from Russia and Brazil
Inbound visitor growth across world destinations was fuelled by strong outbound demand from the majority of source markets.
Among the top 10 markets, international tourism expenditure grew fastest in China (+19%), the Republic of Korea (+12%), the United States (+8%) and Canada (+7%). Expenditure from Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy and Hong Kong (China) grew between 3% and 5%, while France reported a modest 1% increase.
Worth noting beyond the top 10 source markets is the significant recovery in demand from the Russian Federation (+27%) and Brazil (+35%) after a few years of declines in tourism expenditure abroad.
UNWTO expresses confidence on tourism in Madagascar
The Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Taleb Rifai has visited Madagascar to express the Organization’s full support to the tourism sector. Madagascar’s tourism is facing a challenging situation following a plague outbreak which has prompted some countries to implement travel restrictions with Madagascar. Mr Rifai recalled the World Health Organization (WHO) advises no restriction on travel or trade on Madagascar.
“UNWTO is echoing the advice by WHO to governments not to rush to issue inaccurate travel advisories. The WHO Key Messages updates dated 26 October recalls that the risk of international spread appears unlikely. WHO advises no restriction on travel or trade on Madagascar based on the current available information” said Mr. Rifai.
“We can not penalise a country twice – once by the country being hit and having to confront and pay the direct heavy price of a devastating crisis and second by us, human community, falling into misguided perceptions and, as a result , shunning and isolating the victim country and adding to the problem rather than to the solution” he added.
WHO recalls that it is important to strike a balance between encouraging countries in the region to be ready to act in case of an outbreak, while avoiding panic that could result in unnecessary or counterproductive measures such as trade restrictions or travel bans on affected countries.
“We are facing a perception crisis. Clear and factual communication on the real situation in Madagascar is crucial to prevent damaging advisories from adding gravity to the crisis” said Rifai.
Meeting with the Minister of Tourism, members of government, the President of the National Assembly, representatives from the United Nations in Madagascar, including the WHO Resident Coordinator, the World Bank, local private sector and media, Mr Rifai recalled that “positive news are coming out of the sector such as the new strategic partnership between Air Madagascar and Air Austral. We need to communicate the good news; build our capacity and restore confidence”.
The Minister of Tourism Roland Ratsiraka recalled “Being an island with 80% endemic biodiversity, Madagascar has a natural calling for sustainable tourism” said the Minister of Tourism. “Mr. Secretary General, your visit is rich in meaning, gives hope to a whole people and those who still doubt the economic benefits of the tourism industry” he added.
“Collaboration among all countries in crisis situations is critical and we call upon all countries in the region to cooperate in a way that reinforces prevention without creating unnecessary travel bans” said the Najib Balala, Chair of the UNWTO Commission for Africa and Minister of Tourism of Kenya.
UNWTO Secretary-General and the Minister of Tourism of Madagascar will be meeting the press next week at the World Travel Market in London to brief on the current situation in the country.