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How the Ivory Coast plans to win West Africa's tourism sweepstakes

Over the past decade there has been a burst of growth for tourism in Africa, with 1,770,000 tourists in 1968, and passing the two million mark the year after. While these visitors were flying to the warmth and excitement of the continent, the various countries were scurrying to ensure a proper share of the market. The results varied tremendously and, while the East and South African States received hundreds of thousands of guests and many times that number of dollars, West African countries have been lucky enough to have a few thousand. The Ivory Coast, doing somewhat better than its neighbours, had only 22,000 tourists and businessmen in 1968, and 44,000 in 1970, for a total of 150,000 nights spent.

But the tourist sweepstakes were not over, and the Government decided it could do considerably better during the next decade. Like the other countries along the coast it offered lovely and relatively empty beaches, many of them covered with fine sand and palm groves. Tours to the interior would take visitors to see exotic villages and intriguing customs, with a wide range of scenery from the coast to the savannah. And even a number of national parks and forests were opened to provide some view of wild life. Finally, as more hotels and roads were constructed the tourist could live and travel in considerable amount and sometimes even luxury.

By 1970, there were 1,500 rooms available, two-thirds of the in Abidjan and most of a good or acceptable category. This included the now famous Hotel Ivoire, which was considered too spacious and luxurious when it was opened in 1963 and has since been expanded to 500 rooms, with another 250 under construction. There were several other fine hotels in town, some of them built before independence, and smaller ones in several major towns. But there was rarely enough room for the flow of businessmen and locals who wished to stay, and more establishments were needed geared to the tourist trade.

[[image - black and white photo of three men in business attire and two women in African dress]]
[[caption]] On arrival in Abidjan, via Air Afrique, the agents were welcomed by Thomas Couilaby and Charles Librader of Air Afrique and officials of the Ivory Coast. [[/caption]]

[[image - black and white photo of a group of people in casual clothing]]
[[caption]] The slave trade was explained to Inter-American Travel Agents on Goree Island, Dakar, Senegal. [[/caption]]

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