From a relatively small industry at the introduction of the first Club Med resort in the 1970s, Tourism has grown to be an important part of the Senegalese economy.

Since the 1990s, Senegal has made an effort to reach beyond visitors from the former colonial power France, in part motivated by the example of neighbouring Gambia which draws a relatively larger tourist share from Northern Europe and the Americas to its Banjul coastal resorts.

Foreign tourist visitors enjoy luxury beach resorts, natural and historic sites.

 

Known for its mild climate, attractive beaches and great fishing, Senegal has long been highly regarded by European tourists, mostly French and Belgian.

U.S. tourists - often African-Americans - are increasing in numbers, drawn in particular by the historic slave trading post of Goree Island.

Principal cities of interest include the capital, Dakar; Saint-Louis, an old colonial town; and the Mouride holy centre of Touba. Gorée Island, formerly a centre of the West African slave trade and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, draws many visitors.

Most tourists from outside Africa are Europeans, especially French, and a hotel and resort industry centered around enclosed beach resorts, most at resort towns like Saly on the Petite-Côte south of Dakar, have been created to appeal to this clientele since the 1970s.

Resort vacations are often supplemented by wildlife and nature tours of areas like the Sine-Saloum Delta, the Grande Côte, the Pink Lake, and Senegal River delta in the north (near Saint-Louis).

 

Historic sites around Dakar, Gorée Island, museums, and monuments draw visitors. To the north, the colonial island town of Saint-Louis is visited for its long history and colonial architecture. There are also safari trips offered to see wildlife.

Senegal has a small but developing National Park and Reserve System. Notable among these are the Langue de Barbarie National Park and Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary which provide wildlife habitat in the dunes and mangrove swamps surrounding the mouth of the Senegal River near picturesque city of Saint-Louis. The Niokolo-Koba National Park is a World Heritage Site and natural protected area in south eastern Senegal near the Guinea-Bissau border which protects a large variety of wild animals, including hippos, elephants, and lions. Largely undeveloped, the area is remote and lacks tourist infrastructure, but is a destination for specialty tours.

The Basse Casamance National Park, in the far southwest, includes both ecotourism and tropical forest excursions, and a popular coastal beach resort aimed at foreign tourism.

The Saloum Delta National Park is a large area of Mangrove estuaries and islands, visited by tourists for it wildlife, its cultural interest as the home of the minority Serer people, and its proximity to the tourist resorts of the Petite-Côte.

Smaller parks and reserves, like the Guembeul Natural Reserve in the center west or the Bandia Natural Reserve near Dakar exit primarily for the more conventional European tourist industry, resembling Wildlife Parks or zoos.

 

The main entrance point is Dakar-Yoff International Airport. Senegal’s capital city of Dakar, on the westernmost point of the continent, is strategically located.

United States based Delta airlines opened in December 2006 an Atlanta/Dakar/Johannesburg/Dakar/Atlanta route.

British based travel companies, long organising trips to neighbouring anglophone Gambia, have begun entering a package travel market to Senegal which was until recently dominated by French and Belgian companies.

 

Senegal’s main tourist season is from mid-October to June, mostly during the dry, ‘cool’ season, when Dakar’s average daytime maximums are around 24°C (75°F). Most music festivals take place in December and between March and June.

During the wet months from mid-July to late September some national parks are inaccessible or even closed, but it’s also the time everything is green and beautiful, and many hotels reduce their prices by up to 50%.

Senegal is known for the richness of its halieutic resources, notably on the coasts along the Cap-Vert peninsula, some of the biggest fishing hotspots in the world. A phenomenon called "upwelling", where cold water rises along the continental plateau, provokes the aspiration of nutritive elements and plankton. This therefore creates the optimum conditions for aquatic fauna from November to June.
BIG-GAME FISHING
The best season is from June to October, and fifty or so species are present on the country's coasts.The International Game Fish Association in Florida recognises 22 competition species.
OTHER TYPES OF FISHING
Off the coast of Senegal, you can also enjoy handline fishing, casting, trolling, or rapala fishing, all year long. Underwater fishing with a snorkel is allowed but only if you take out a special insurance policy.
Swordfish, sailfish, blue marlin, tuna, albacore, barracuda, dolphin fish, grouper, wahoo, bluefish, weever, sole, threadfin, sea bream, greater amberjack, Brazilian grouper, red carp, umbra, moray eel, and so on.
FISHING AREAS
To the north of the country, in the Saint Louis area, in the vicinity of the Cap- Vert peninsula, on the Petite Cote, in the region of the Saloum islands and Casamance.
In all of these areas, various specialised establishments or holiday resorts offer different possibilities for all types of anglers, whether amateur or expert sportsmen.
Mi-C 'a ISA, PEOPLE OF FISHERMEN
The populations that live along the coasts have a very ancient tradition of seafaring professions.Three communities stand out: the Wolof, Lebou, and Serer NyominkaThe number of Senegalese fishermen is now estimated at 60,000.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Federation Senegalaise de Peche Sportive
Embarcadere Dakar Gorée
BPn°4l77DAKAR
Tel: (221) 33 823 97 97
Fax:(221)338236966