With lush rainforests, pristine beaches and unique wildlife, the huge African country is a crowd-free paradise thanks to the lack of tourists. But with a new vision for growth, the country's tourism minister, Vivienne Dewa, has set an ambitious goal of increasing the number of visitors to one million by 2028, so it may be time to visit.
Prior to the 2019 pandemic, tourism had risen in Madagascar, welcoming nearly 350,000 visitors. However, Covid paused it, and in 2022, the number fell by about 60%, according to the provincial database. The tourism sector has shown signs of recovery, but has received 259,850 visitors in 2023, but the place of extraordinary beauty remains peaceful and relatively untouched.
Although it appears small on the map, the Madagascar island nation, officially known as the Republic of Madagascar, is actually the fourth largest island in the world, offering a diverse range of landscapes and endemic wildlife.
The lush tropical rainforest of Andashibe Mantadia offers views of the mediocre beach known for its rare lemurs, chameleons, geckos and clear waters for diving and snorkeling.
The surreal landscape of Tsingy de Bemaraha, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, makes for an unforgettable trekking with dramatic limestone formations, caves and impressive canyons.
There is also kite surfing in Sakalaba Bay. There are also bike tours nationwide that hold about 3% of the world's biodiversity.
However, Madagascar has drawbacks such as road infrastructure, making it a little more difficult around the island far away.
Some tour operators have launched personalized tours to explore more difficult places, such as the Madagascarrenes Agency, who founder Christoph Kames told African businesses that “Madagascar still has its purity, the spontaneity that other countries have lost.”
He added: “Lately, luxury means exclusiveness, which means “being alone in the world,” and it has become extremely rare. ”
Air travel is also a point of attachment, according to officials with the Tourism Commission, with Madagascar planning to improve sea-to-air connectivity both domestically and internationally.
