The holding of the JIOI 2023 in Madagascar gave a considerable boost to the tourism sector. The lights are green to move in the direction of economic growth in this area.
Dazzling. Two weeks after the curtain fell on the eleventh edition of the Indian Ocean Island Games, tourism sector operators are expecting a rebound in activities by the end of the year. By using these JIOIs as a springboard on which to bounce back, we hope to see tourist numbers towards the Big Island increase. Lova Ratovomalala, Executive Director of the Madagascar Tourism Confederation, discusses the fact that these games have greatly contributed to the tourism recovery process, because they have added more visibility to the destination, especially over the last three months.
“The number of tourists who came to Madagascar fluctuated between ten and fifteen thousand international arrivals during the first five months of this year. This figure multiplied between the months of July and August, especially the month of August which recorded nearly twenty-four thousand international arrivals,” he confides. These figures can be verified if we refer to the statistics for the first eight months of the year, published by the directorate for the promotion of tourist products at the Ministry of Tourism. The recovery is going well for this flagship sector of activity of Madagascar’s economy.
Tourist crowds
According to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, this tourist influx leading to a growth in activities linked to this sector was to be expected due to the fact that Madagascar had hosted these games. The outlook seems to indicate a favorable recovery and even more significant benefits for tourism during the second half of 2023, according to the mid-year review published by the MEF.
During this year, it must be said that the revival of the tourism sector got off to a good start. Particularly during the first six months when the tourist influx to the Big Island climbed up to +202.8% if we believe the statistics published by the Ministry of Tourism. Figures that speak for themselves, especially when we know that arrivals during the previous year at this same period were not at all at the same level.
Until now, official statistics show the arrival of more than 130,000 visitors to Madagascar, compared to just under 30,000 visitors during this same period of the year. According to the 2023 mid-year review, this high attendance is also due to “the various promotional activities carried out in 2022 and the first half of 2023, but also thanks to the return of airlines that served Madagascar before 2020”.
The huge boost from the holding of the JIOI also contributed to this meteoric growth in tourist activities. this high attendance is also due “to the various promotional activities carried out in 2022 and the first half of 2023, but also thanks to the return of airlines that served Madagascar before 2020”. The huge boost from the holding of the JIOI also contributed to this meteoric growth in tourist activities. this high attendance is also due “to the various promotional activities carried out in 2022 and the first half of 2023, but also thanks to the return of airlines that served Madagascar before 2020”. The huge boost from the holding of the JIOI also contributed to this meteoric growth in tourist activities.
