The first ordinary session of the National Tourism Board held on July 27, 2016 at the time a CAF inspection mission is in the country.
Just three months to the kick-off of the 2016 Female African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament scheduled for the cities of Yaounde and Limbe, government has been reassuring that the tourism and hospitality sector will be ready to provide lodging, feeding, entertainment and leisure for the hundreds of thousands of national and foreign tourists expected to be part of the continental sports jamboree.
It could thus be comprehended why the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Philemon Yang, while chairing this year’s first session of the National Tourism Board on July 27, 2016, reminded stakeholders that in view of the successful organisation of the AFCON tournament, the tourism sector has an important role to play.
To him, the tourism sector must seize the opportunity to position itself as the veritable lever of Cameroon’s emergence. Most of the presentation by the Minister of State in charge of Tourism and Leisure, Bello Bouba Maigari, dwelled on the level of preparedness of the sector as well as progress in the rehabilitation, extension and equipment of State-owned hotels in Limbe and Buea.
Even some private hotel establishments with reputation have received government support. Bello Bouba Maigari disclosed that government signed an agreement with FINI Hotel in Limbe for a financial assistance of FCFA 500 million, which is refundable. Meanwhile, a delegation from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) is in the South West Region, precisely in Limbe and Buea to verify the readiness of the hospitality infrastructure after crisscrossing the city of Yaounde verifying same.
The stakes are high, especially for the Cameroonian government which is reinforcing measures to ensure security in and around hotels and classifying lodging establishments and restaurants according to international standards. Elsewhere, over FCFA one billion has reportedly been transferred so far to councils to make tourist sites accessible and appealing.
