Ecotourism in Madagascar - Responsible Tourism: Critical Issues for Conservation and Development - page 35

by the MAP show that developing ecotourism as a niche market has enormous
potential.
If only half of these indicators are achieved by 2012, Madagascar's
ecotourism development will have made a great step forward. What has not been
indicated in the MAP are the necessary actions to meet these indicators.
This chapter has tried to explain in detail the state of tourism and ecotourism
development in Madagascar, and we return now to the three questions asked at
the beginning.

Why has Madagascar not been better recognized as a
destination on the international tourism map?
For a long time, tourism was not even seen as a proper industry sector and efforts
for tourism development came from the private sector and donor institutions
(especially for ecotourism development). This situation changed in 2005, when
tourism became the leading foreign currency provider of the country and the
government finally accepted tourism as an industry, appreciating its importance
to the Malagasy economy and it ability to increase local living standards. Since
this time, tourism development has been pushed continually forward, at the
present time having its own chapter in the government's strategy programme, the
MAP. As the MAP is a vision, it does not give concrete or practical guidelines on
how its indicators could be reached. Activities that could help to achieve these
indicators are:

• a proper vision and policy for ecotourism development through a realistic

development plan with achievable objectives and concrete activities in a set
timeframe; supported by a practised legal framework that works correctly;

• an update and implementation of the Malagasy tourism masterplan (adopted

already in 2005);

• widespread awareness raising of the main principles of ecotourism;

• an update of the tourism law to the current reality of the tourism sector to

facilitate investment processes by making them more financially attractive;

• urgent revision of hotel classifications to international standards;

• taking account of environmental and social issues and ensuring consistent

implementation around the country; and

• the official adaptation of the 'Malagasy Sustainable Tourism Codes of

Conduct' from the Ministry.

This needs to be indicated and followed-up by a clear and practical administrative
structure, which can be achieved by:

• integrating management thinking into administration as well as providing

more training and motivation for ministerial staff;

• redistributing manpower (decentralization) and strengthening the provincial

tourism entities;