Travel And Tourism in Gabon
Euromonitor International's Travel And Tourism in Gabon report offers a comprehensive guide to the market at a national level. It looks at travel accommodation, transportation, car rental, tourist attractions and retail travel. It identifies the leading companies and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market, including background information on disposable income, annual leave and holiday taking habits.
Buy online to access strategic market analysis and an interactive statistical database of market size data for travel accommodation, transportation, car rental, travel retail, tourism attractions and health and wellness tourism, tourism inflows and outflows, tourism spending and company and brand shares.
Tables: 31 | Publication date: Nov 2008
Why buy this report
- Get insight into trends in market performance
- Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change
- Identify market and brand leaders and understand the competitive environment
Product coverage
Car rental; Demand factors; Health & wellness tourism; Tourism flows domestic; Tourism flows inbound; Tourism flows outbound; Tourism receipts and expenditure; Tourist attractions; Transportation; Travel accommodation; Travel retail
Executive summary
Travel And Tourism In Gabon Is Still Unknown On The International Market
Although expatriate workers based in the country have long been aware of the rich diversity of holiday and leisure opportunities in the country, Gabon’s tourism potential is still something of a well-kept secret on the international market. Gabon is known as an oil-rich nation, but, as its supply of oil dwindles, the government is increasingly looking to diversify the economy away from its reliance on oil. As a result, it is working to develop the travel and tourism industry in order to promote economic development in a sustainable manner. Until recently, the government did very little to develop a tourism policy, but as of 2007 it is taking a more proactive approach.
In order to open up the area to tourism, there is now a Gabonese Tourist Office in New York, so as to raise North American awareness of the country. Relevant websites have been upgraded to make travel information easily accessible. The industry currently contributes only about 3% of Gabon’s GDP, but the figure is expected to rise to 8% by the end of the 2000s.
Ecotourism Is Government’s Main Priority
At the centre of the Gabonese government’s strategy for attracting foreign visitors is an emphasis on ecotourism. Gabon’s territory includes a part of the second-largest tropical forest zone in the world, and the government is determined to protect this patrimony by encouraging environmentally sustainable activities such as ecotourism.
There are 13 protected national parks, covering more than 10% of the country’s land area, and they are home to a stunning variety of flora and fauna. This network of parks offers Gabon a chance to combine sustainable development with the preservation of its biodiversity and, for that to happen, the country needs to put in place a type of ecotourism that will conserve nature, while respecting the habits, customs and family structures of the local population. This environmentally-friendly approach has attracted considerable interest abroad, not least from conservation agencies such as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which hopes that Gabon can serve as a model for other countries in the region that also have large tracts of tropical forest.
Investment Opportunities
With a wide diversity of tourist attractions, including rich flora and fauna, traditions, cultures, ancestral arts and legendary hospitality, Gabon presents potential for tourism and development opportunities that constitute promising niche markets, particularly for investors. However, the lack of private investment is hindering growth in the overall industry. The country is looking for foreign investment to develop its tourism infrastructure through the construction of accommodation in proximity to national parks, the conception of ecotourism programmes, the building of access (roads and airports), the commercialisation of ecotourism products and the implementation of specific training courses.
Hotel and hospitality facilities, most of which were built by the government in the mid-1970s to mid-1980s, now need modernising, while others need to be constructed elsewhere and this time by the private sector. The poor transport infrastructure needs maintenance and since such action is costly, the government has been getting the private sector involved in the rehabilitation and upgrading of the road network.
Investors, however, still doubt the stability of the country with a president who has now been in power for over 40 years. In addition, declining oil revenues, coupled with disagreements with the IMF, have put Gabon on a difficult footing. With the intention of attracting more visitors and potential investors, the Gabonese government has been working to create a positive image, enabling a favourable environment for investors. Gabon is offering potential investors political stability and safety without which long-term profitable investment is unimaginable. The government is confident that economic diversification, further privatisation and a number of structural reforms will provide a sound basis that will inspire confidence abroad.
Table of contents
TRAVEL AND TOURISM IN GABON : MARKET INSIGHT
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Travel And Tourism In Gabon Is Still Unknown On The International Market
Ecotourism Is Government’s Main Priority
Investment Opportunities
KEY TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS
Government Policy On Tourism
The Potential Of Ecotourism
Poor Tourism Infrastructure
MARKET INDICATORS
Table 1 Length of Domestic Trip: 2002-2007
Table 2 Length of Outbound Departure: 2002-2007
MARKET DATA
Table 3 Balance of Tourism Payments: Value 2002-2007
DEFINITIONS
Tourism Parameters
Travel accommodation
Transportation
Car rental
Travel retail
Internet sales
Summary 1 Research Sources
TRAVEL ACCOMMODATION
Headlines
Trends
Prospects
Sector Data
Table 4 Travel Accommodation Sales by Sector: Value 2002-2007
Table 5 Travel Accommodation Outlets by Sector: Units 2002-2007
Table 6 Regional Hotel Parameters 2007
Table 7 Travel Accommodation by Sector: Number of Rooms 2005-2007
Table 8 Travel Accommodation by Sector: Number of Beds 2005-2007
Table 9 Travel Accommodation Internet Sales: Internet Transaction Value 2002-2007
Table 10 Hotel Company Rankings 2005-2007
Table 11 Forecast Travel Accommodation Sales by Sector: Value 2007-2012
Table 12 Forecast Travel Accommodation Outlets by Sector: Units 2007-2012
Table 13 Forecast Travel Accommodation Internet Sales: Internet Transaction Value 2007-2012
TRANSPORTATION
Headlines
Trends
Prospects
Sector Data
Table 14 Transportation Sales by Sector: Value 2002-2007
Table 15 Transportation Internet Sales: Internet Transaction Value 2002-2007
Table 16 Airline Company Rankings 2005-2007
Table 17 Forecast Transportation Sales by Sector: Value 2007-2012
Table 18 Forecast Transportation Internet Sales: Internet Transaction Value 2007-2012
CAR RENTAL
Headlines
Trends
Prospects
Sector Data
Table 19 Car Rental Sales: Value 2002-2007
Table 20 Car Rental Internet Sales: Internet Transaction Value 2002-2007
Table 21 Car Rental Company Rankings 2005-2007
Table 22 Forecast Car Rental Sales: Value 2007-2012
Table 23 Forecast Car Rental Internet Sales: Internet Transaction Value 2007-2012
TRAVEL RETAIL
Headlines
Trends
Prospects
Sector Data
Table 24 Travel Retail Outlets: Units 2002-2007
Table 25 Travel Retail Products Sales: Value 2002-2007
Table 26 Travel Retail Products Internet Sales: Internet Transaction Value 2002-2007
Table 27 Travel Retail Products Company Rankings 2005-2007
Table 28 Forecast Travel Retail Outlets: Units 2007-2012
Table 29 Forecast Travel Retail Products Sales: Value 2007-2012
Table 30 Forecast Travel Retail Products Internet Sales: Internet Transaction Value 2007-2012