This is a best prospect industry sector for this country. Includes a market overview and trade data.
Last Published: 4/17/2016

Overview                                                                                        

With more than 5,000 kilometers of coastline, Madagascar presents excellent opportunities for tourism.  There is significant room for growth, as neighboring Mauritius and Kenya each receive millions of tourists every year, compared to the approximately two hundred thousand that Madagascar received in 2013.  The government has identified tourism as a growth industry for Madagascar, and hopes to increase the number of tourists to 1 million per year by 2020.  Expensive air fares, poor infrastructure, and unreliable service provision are current obstacles to development in this sector. Nevertheless, the country’s rich biodiversity and unique wildlife make it a strong attraction for international tourists, presenting opportunities for U.S. investment in tourist infrastructure as well as for U.S. providers of tourism services.
 
Products covered are within HTS Chapters 561520 for Tour Operators (i.e., Arranging and Assembling Tours).

Opportunities                                                                                 

U.S. companies could either establish new tour operators or associate with already existing local operators.  Tourism operators, including airline companies, hotels, donors, and wildlife conservation groups have created an association called TOP and are in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism.
 
The country’s protected areas are organized into the Madagascar National Parks (MNP) system, a public-private partnership managed by government officials and national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs).  Each park is public-owned, albeit financially independently, receiving funds from donors such as the World Bank, the World Wildlife Fund, international NGOs, in addition to admission fees.  MNP has announced tenders for companies to manage several of the parks, with the possibility of building neighboring hotels.  Many of the national parks contain flora and fauna, including lemurs, which are endemic to Madagascar.

Resources                                                                       

For additional information on investment opportunities in the tourism sector, potential investors can contact the Ministry of Tourism, EDBM, Madagascar National Parks, the American Chamber of Commerce, or other business associations (see Chapter 9).  Please also do not hesitate to contact the Embassy’s Political-Economic Section for more information.

Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.