Tourism

Thailand’s tourism industry is showing early signs of bouncing back from last year’s floods, with figures confirming a significant year-on-year (y-o-y) rise in visitor numbers for the first 11 months of 2011. Statistics issued by the Department of Tourism show tourist arrivals were up 21.7% on the same period in 2010, which should go some way to allaying fears that the industry could suffer long-term fall-out from the floods.

An array of new tactics – including continued infrastructure investment, a marketing drive and a focus on growing niches – could prove key in unlocking Ghana’s considerable tourism potential. The West African country currently has a moderately sized but lively tourism sector that sees around a modest 1m visitors per year, mostly from North America and Europe.

Prospects are brightening for the Egyptian tourism industry, with renewed growth expected this year after a difficult 2011. Tourism revenues could grow by more than a third in 2012, returning to 2010 levels, the tourism minister, Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour, told the international press in late December.

With 2011 having seen a spike in visitor arrivals, the Philippines’ tourism sector is moving ahead with plans to become a major engine for the country’s economic growth.

Sharjah’s push to increase the role its tourism sector plays appears to be paying dividends, with hotels reporting higher occupancy rates and airlines adding the emirate as a destination.

Malgré une légère baisse de la demande en provenance d’Europe, ainsi que les troubles politiques qui ont secoué les autres pays de la région et enfin un attentat à Marrakech, le secteur du tourisme marocain affiche cette année une forte croissance contracyclique grâce à de nouveaux investissements étrangers qui multiplient l’offre hôtelière, et appuyée par une ambitieuse stratégie gouvernementale qui vise à augmenter à la fois la capacité litière et le nombre de visiteurs.