Cameroon’s diversity offers endless possibilities for tourists
CAMEROON'S AUTHORITIES HAVE LAUNCHED AN AGGRESSIVE MARKETING CAMPAIGN DESIGNED TO CONVERT THE COUNTRY INTO ONE OF AFRICA'S TOURISM HOT SPOTS BY ATTRACTING SOME HALF A MILLION VISITORS A YEAR BY 2004

A KALEIDOSCOPE OF RICHES Clockwise from left to right: dancers in the northwestern region, the sea to Kirby, and a gorilla in the Mengame Sanctuary.

There’s a good reason why Cameroonians so often refer to their country as being ‘Africa in miniature’. In an area little larger than California can be found almost as wide a variety of landscapes, climates, cultures and wildlife as on the continent as a whole.
From the dense tropical rainforests in the south, Cameroon extends northward, with the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Central African Republic to the east, before tapering in a wedge between Nigeria and Chad that seems to reach off toward the Sahara desert.
The palm-fringed, sandy beaches, golden in some places and dark in others, invite swimmers and sunbathers, and at one point the Lobé waterfalls splash directly into the sea. For much of the coastline, the only sign of human presence is the occasional fishing village, where young men paddle out to sea in canoes while the elders repair the nets.

Not far inland, in the area of Limbé, is Mount Cameroon, a still-active volcano rising more than 12,000 feet above the tree tops and beckoning to trekkers and rock climbers.
The jungle is home to the pygmies, who are just one of 200 ethnic groups living in Cameroon, and whose traditional dances and songs are still performed regularly.
The landscape becomes progressively more rugged to the north, marked by jagged mountains, and dissected by dizzying waterfalls.
Wildlife enthusiasts can have a field day on photo safaris in the national parks, where gorillas, chimpanzees, monkeys, crocodiles, ostriches, giraffes, elephants, lions, buffalo, antelope, and many other species can be tracked and captured on film.

Pierre Hele Minister for Tourism

As the Minister for Tourism, Pierre Hele, says, ”if other countries have opted for only one form of tourism, such as the safari or the beach, it is because they have no other possibility. Here in Cameroon we offer everything at the same time, everyone can find something to his or her own taste.”
Yet, despite all that Cameroon has to offer visitors, and despite the people’s natural sense of hospitality, the country remains largely undiscovered as a tourist destination.
The government has decided to tap into this under-used potential by promoting tourism actively,
with the relatively modest goal of attracting half a million visitors a year by 2004.
Mr. Hele explains that as a matter of policy the government is seeking “to make tourism one of the key sectors in the economic development of our country.”

As one step in this direction, Mr. Hele is preparing to open a tourism office in the United States next year. A number of other measures are being taken as well, with the aim of making it easier for tourists to visit, including strengthened security and a crackdown on corruption.
There are also measures to benefit the tourism industry, such as modifying the investment code to provide “favorable conditions for investors” in the sector, as well as “financial incentives in the realms of customs, finance and the protection of revenues,” according to the minister.

Although Cameroon is already “the land of hospitality par excellence,” the tourism ministry continues to organize seminars for those working in the sector to train them to better serve their clientele.
At the same time, Mr. Hele says, “we are drawing up a sector-based strategy of developing tourism in Cameroon” which will serve as “a document of reference to enable investors and all professionals in the tourism sector to help in the promotion of tourism.” The ministry has also set up stands in all the airports to offer arriving tourists information on accomodations, excursions and activities.
Prime minister Musonge strongly supports the tourism ministry’s efforts. “We think we have a lovely country which people should have a chance to visit,” he says.