How many tourists does Madagascar get a year?

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French tourists dominate the travel and tourism in the country, comprising the majority of all arrivals in 2006. Their interest in Madagascar is driven by the cultural and historical links between the two countries and the structure of the flight routes.

In 2000, the latest year for which figures were available, about 160,000 people visited Madagascar, nearly double the number of visitors four years earlier.
Madagascar possesses high tourism potential, with a broad diversity of landscape, flora and fauna unknown elsewhere in the world, matchless beaches, and a magnificent marine environment, all prime assets for the development of eco-tourism, plus a rich cultural heritage and craft tradition. For six years Madagascar has experienced a regular increase in the influx of tourists. The numbers of foreign visitors more than doubled between 1994 and 1999, making tourism one of the country鈥檚 foremost hard currency earners. However, although the influx of tourists is increasing by 15 % per year in Madagascar, the absolute number of visitors is still very small.

Depends?

Not enough, but look at what people miss.

Madagascar is the world's fourth largest island. Home to lemurs, periwinkles and baobabs the island is ringed by golden beaches and palm tress, while the interior is resplendent in its variety, from grassy plateaus to volcanoes and opaque forests.


- 5 national parks: Montagne d'ambre, Isalo, Mantadia, Ranomafana, Mananara nord
- Special reserves of which the main ones are: Andasibe, Bezaha mahafaly, Ankarana, Sainte Marie, Nosy Mangabe
- 11 integral natural reserves
- 70% of the world's lemur species
- 1000 species of orchids
- 146 classified monuments and sites, 27 restored
- 125 unclassified sites and monuments
- 23 special reserves for the protection of animal and plant species
- 6 hunting reserves and 2 private reserves
- A high endemic rate for batrachians, reptiles and butterfly species
- An extra ordinary wealth of crafts
- A botanical treasure of dry spiny deserts

The figure given by the World Bank for 2003 is 200,000 per annum, only 60,000 of these being true tourists, i.e. holiday makers, the remainder coming for some other reason. http://www.worldbank.org/afr/wps/wp63_fr...