On the occasion of the closing up of activities linked to the commemoration of World Tourism Day celebrated in Cameroon under the theme ‘‘Tourism and Peace », tourism stakeholders from Lékié, administrative, municipal and traditional authorities, paid a guided visit on 27th September 2024 to the Nachtigal Dam in Batchenga.
A large number of people from the Lékié tourism sector travelled to Batchenga for a guided tour of the banks of the River Sanaga. The visit, initiated by Bekamba Oumarou, Divisional Delegate of the Ministry of Tourism and Leisure (MINTOUL) for Lékié, came on the heels of the capacity-building seminar for stakeholders in the Lé��������������������� >���n Obala on 26th September.
A traditional meeting
This meeting, which has become a tradition, has been in place since the arrival of Bekamba Oumarou, the current divisional delegate. It aims at helping the participants to determine the stage of tourism development in the Lékié division and to refocus the working practices of the actors and their teams. It has also always been an opportunity for the Lékié tourism representative to encourage participants to identify actions to be taken in managing tourism situations encountered by them and their teams. For the divisional delegate, the tourism industry needs to be revitalised and promoted, in the division which he has constantly encouraged to exploit its rich potential.
Here, stakeholders and administrative authorities visited the NHPC facilities. Guided by a team of local professionals, tourists took a tour around the scale model of the Nachtigal site. They were then shown a fine view of the headrace canal, the protective dam and the floating waste filter.
A booming tourism industry
According to the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Cameroon no longer ranks among the world’s top tourist destinations. According to a cross-check, tourism accounted for about 1.5% of the country’s GDP in 2008, compared with 2.4% in 2005. Since then, Cameroon as a destination has fallen out of favour. With a view to revitalising the destination, Cameroon’s tourism industry is booming.
The policies spearheaded by Cameroon’s Minister of Tourism, Maigari Bello Bouba, are being implemented by his colleagues. The initiative that has become customary in Lékié is a testimony to this. For the Minister of Tourism and Leisure, Cameroon should once again reach the milestone of at least 4 million visitors a year. It is important to note that the country currently welcomes fewer than one million tourists a year.
Par Joseph Ayangma
