Senegal’s tourism sector faces political confusion

Monday, March 11, 2024

With the first round of the presidential election set for March 24 and Ramadan beginning on Sunday, hoteliers in Senegal are concerned about the continued significant drop in the occupancy rates of their establishments.

It was a plea for help amid the political confusion that has been rocking Senegal for the past month.

“We need to save the tourist season before it’s too late!” warned Moussa Yero Dansokho, manager of three three-star hotels located in Kédougou, over 700 km from Dakar and a stone’s throw from the Niokolo-Koba National Park, on Monday, March 4.

Since the announcement of the postponement of the presidential election “sine die” on February 3, his business has collapsed. “I’ve lost nearly 70 million CFA francs in a month [€106,714],” he estimated.

At this time of year, international and family clientele flock to his camps, attracted by the abundant nature and waterfalls offered by the park located in the southeast of the country, on the Guinean border, and classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Not to mention hunting enthusiasts, with the French leading the way, who come to track down warthogs, rabbits, and birds.

“When they saw the images of the demonstrations at the beginning of February, foreign clients canceled their visits,” complained the hotelier, for whom the hunting season, from January to April, is a godsend.

“Out of 47 bookings in February, only about 10 went ahead. When a hunting enthusiast cancels a 15-night stay, that’s the equivalent of €2,300 for us,” explained Dansokho, whose establishment employs around 50 people.

For him, like all the economic actors involved, the urgency was to set an election date to dispel this fog of uncertainty. President Macky Sall and the Constitutional Council heard their pleas on Thursday.

Senegalese voters are summoned for the first round of the presidential election on Sunday, March 24, while the electoral campaign is set to begin in the first hour on Saturday.

Closing shop
Time was pressing for the tourism sector, the second-largest provider of foreign currency and employment in Senegal.

Along the Petite Côte, lined with beach resorts, professionals are also feeling the strain. In Saly, a popular enclave for French tourists and Dakar residents who come to relax on weekends, Boubacar Sabaly anxiously follows the political upheavals in the capital.

Since the postponement, the manager of a four-star hotel facing the Atlantic Ocean has lost his international tourists.

“Even though there hasn’t been any violence in Saly, the atmosphere of tension frightens foreigners. They think it could escalate at any moment. It’s a real blow after Covid, the riots in March 2021, and those in June 2023. We were just starting to recover.”

He employs 114 people in the high season.

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