TOURISM

Overview
The government has identified tourism as one of the most potential economic activities and is willing to promote and develop the sector. The positive climate for its development presents excellent opportunities for the investors.

Guinea-Bissau is privileged by its geographical position, only few hours by air from Europe and America, and presents great opportunities in tourism. Due to diverse culture (approximately 30 ethnic groups) and its geographical variety Guinea-Bissau offers products highly appreciated by today’s tourists. In Guinea-Bissau you can experience ecotourism, rural tourism, alternative tourism and adventure tourism, and enjoy authentic African way of living.

Guinea-Bissau has tropical climate, where the raining season is relatively short. Dry season, which is more favorable for tourists, extends from October to May, 8 months in total. Dry season coincides with winter season in Europe, period of the year when many individuals search for sun. Guinea-Bissau presents many periods of the year, like Christmas, New Year, Pascoa, which are favorable to enjoy the holidays.

To characterize the tourist product Guinea-Bissau offers, the country can be divided into two zones – the seaside zone and the continental zone. The seaside includes the islands called ‘Arquipelagos de Bijagos’ and has diverse animals, beautiful beaches and many different national parks, like park Joao Vieira – Opilam (paradise for many tortoises) and a group of parks in the islands of Orango.

The Continental Zone, which includes north and east part of country, is savanna and gives opportunities for hunting. It has interesting and rich fauna and flora and rich and diverse culture, which gives good grounds for the development of rural tourism.

Another factor to consider is that market for the development in Guinea-Bissau is greater than we can imagine. Tourism market can be extended to neighboring countries, like Senegal, Cape-Verde, Gambia and Guinea-Conakry.

According to the government strategic plan identifying opportunities tourism offers in Guinea-Bissau, done on the base of feasibility studies, there are many fields that open great potentials. The forecast is that the investment in tourism, from private and public sector, will increase to amount of 100 million Euro in the next two years, the number of beds in whole territory of Guinea-Bissau will reach 20.000, annual income will reach 500 million of Euro and plus side income of 230 million of Euro.

It is to stress that Guinea-Bissau offers good conditions for investors. Company investing in tourism can benefit from tax free operations for 6 years. Help in facilitating all the necessary documentation is offered, price for buying land are favorable, and administrative obstacles are eliminated in this process.

The government plan is to create 15 tourist zones, which will extend throughout whole region of the country. In this zones the necessary communal infrastructure will also be developed. For better involvement in the region the government of Guinea-Bissau is developing transport infrastructure to connect by road Guinea-Bissau and neighboring countries in the region. Air line transport form Europe is being increased. From Portugual-Lisbona there are three flight connections per week and through France-Dakar-Bissau once a week.

According to the government strategic plan identifying opportunities tourism offers in Guinea-Bissau, done on the base of feasibility studies, there are many fields that open great potentials.

OPPORTUNITIES in tourism:

• 15 tourist zones project, which will extend throughout whole region of the country
• Opportunities in the national parks and reserves
• Ecotourism projects
• Bubaque Port cruise-ship project
  
• Sport tourism
• Fishing tourism
• Tourist resort projects in the Bijagos Islands
• Bijagos islands hotels projects
• Traking tourist rote projects
• Cultural tourist projects
• Conference-tourist hotels in Bissau
• Tourist resort project in Saltinho
  
  
  

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