The first figures for this year show a sustained pace for the number of tourist arrivals on the Big Island. According to the Ministry of Tourism and Crafts, the first two months of 2024 saw twenty-two thousand tourists arrive on the national territory, or one thousand two hundred and fifty international visitors in January and eleven thousand in February. These provisional figures can be consulted in the provisional evolution of the number of tourists in 2024, 2023 and 2019.
Of course, it is difficult to undertake a projection. In 2019, we experienced fairly significant tourist arrivals over the same period; However, those involved in the tourism sector, both the private sector and the supervisory ministry, are optimistic. From the start of the year, the promoters of the Madagascar destination have been hard at work advertising the Big Island abroad, at international trade fairs. It was in January and February, during trade shows in Milan and Berlin.
For their part, other operators have set about adding new tourist products to their ranges. Mountain Bike trails or even affordable offers to visit different tourist sites on certain occasions, or even the promotion of tourism on a national scale. The range is diverse. The statistics for national tourism speak for themselves.
The Big Island’s national parks recorded more than sixty-three thousand visitors in the previous year, compared to just over fifty-eight thousand visitors in 2019. Tourism is starting to take off, after decades of suffering image problems but also product diversity. Currently, it is estimated that tourism contributes to 13% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product, with its biodiversity and cultural heritage as its main assets.
Itamara Randriamamonjy
