Tourism

Côte d’Ivoire aims to establish tourism as the third pillar of its economy, with a target of attracting 5m foreign tourists per year and creating 700,000 jobs in the sector by 2025. These goals seek to build on the substantial gains the sector has made since the political and security situation stabilised in 2012. Tourism has grown steadily in the subsequent years, with international tourist arrivals rising 10-fold in 2011-19. The sector’s contribution to GDP increased from 0.6% to 8.5% over that same period, indicating robust recovery. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic and the imposition of global travel restrictions in early 2020, the government is forging ahead with investment plans to establish Côte d’Ivoire as a regional tourist destination.

This chapter includes an interview with Siandou Fofana, Minister of Tourism.