At the end of the Review and Outlook seminar initiated by the Tourism Development Fund on Thursday, January 28, the best performing decentralized representations of the Ministers in 2020 were awarded.
The three regional Directorates of Tourism and Leisure, the best performing, for the year 2020, are in order of merit: Abengourou, San Pedro and Daloa. And this, with regard to the quantitative and qualitative criteria defined by the ministerial cabinet at the start of the year. Criteria reinforced by a digital platform set up by the Tourism Development Fund and the technical directorates (DGU, DAT and DPAP), which records in real time the statistical data of each regional directorate and its departmental units. This is how the regional directorate of Daloa narrowly exceeded that of Yamoussoukro, with an achievement of objectives of 89% against 87%. It was Thursday, January 28, the conference room of the Nour Al Hayat building, the initiative of the Tourism Development Fund (Fdt) whose president, Marcel NGuettia, is also the authorizing officer of the Minister’s integrated financial authority. And acting according to its legal prerogatives of assistance and accompaniment of the operational structures of the tourism administration, as well as of private operators.
In any case, during the exchange rates that preceded the 2020 palm tree, and with a view to improving performance in 2021, the regional directors showed motivation and expressed a commitment to boost intra-muros tourism, taking into account the requirements of health security related to Covid 19.
Camille Kouassi, the Chief of Staff of the Minister of Tourism and Leisure, Siandou Fofana, who represented him at this seminar, indicated, in this regard, that the establishment of systems for measuring tourism performance at the local level will be operational. , thus equipping the Regional Departments to better understand the demand and the socio-economic impact of tourist activity.
Also, he instructed his employees representing the tourism administration in the interior of the country, on the objectives to be achieved this year. And this, in view of the mixed results of the 2020 season, yet promising, but heavily weighed down by the global pandemic of Covid 19.
In addition, faced with the reframing of the national tourism development strategy, Sublime Cte dIvoire, now prioritizing domestic and regional tourism, Mr. Camille Kouassi indicates that these directors will be involved in the development of circuits and infrastructures of the territories, in correlation with private operators (hotels, travel agencies, event promoters), in order to boost the attractiveness of their areas of expertise, with efficient collaboration with the departmental directors under their authority.
Moreover, the Chief of Staff, rejoicing that in addition to the Rgie and the Fund’s departments, the General Inspectorate, the central and technical departments be associated by the Fdt with this seminar on appropriation of the instructions and objectives intended for the Regional Directors, hopes that they will be real transmission belts of reliable statistical data and real agents of inspection and control of tourist establishments and the like. And this, in order to irreversibly proscribe the activity of outlaws!
In particular the maquis, bars, nightclubs, pubs and hotels which use subterfuge to circumvent the rules.
To this end, he invites the regional directors to redouble their vigilance in the strict observance of sanitary safety measures in tourist areas. Because, in many respects, according to the head of the Fdt, Mr. NGuettia, if Ivorian tourism, with a pragmatic and flexible strategy, could contribute, in 2020, to Cte dIvoire being one of the 23 countries in the world not to return in recession, in 2021, it is important to show a firmness against the serious operators. But also initiate sanctions against lax employees. On the other hand, the Fdt and the Rgie, by rewarding the three best regional directorates of 2020, intend to institutionalize this action of rewards and bonuses for the directorates which will shine in an exemplary way from this tourist season.