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successfully exploiting this potential.
Angola has the capacity to become a new
frontier of 21st century tourism. Taking
all necessary precautions to travel safely,
including from a sanitary point of
view, tourists discover vast unexplored
territories, which have been isolated
from the world for many years and for
the first time open to foreigners.
Angola has a huge potential for
tourism development, and the Angolan
Government created the Ministry
of Hotel and Tourism to boost this
important area. The charms of Angola
are numerous and diversified, since,
an unusual natural magnificence is
combined with fabulous cuisine, not
forgetting its ethnic wealth, which are
excellent conditions for the development
of the tourism sector.
A road through Serra-Da-Leba Humpata, Angola As a result, Angola’s resources allow
the development of environmental
Despite the country’s rapid post- in arrears to foreign construction tourism, rural tourism, agrotourism,
war economic growth based on oil companies when government revenue coastal tourism or eco-tourism. It may
production, about 40 percent of fell. Lower prices for oil and diamonds seem excessively optimistic to talk about
Angolans live below the poverty line also resulted in GDP falling 0.7% in tourism in a country that has just come
and unemployment is widespread, 2016. Angola formally abandoned its out of a civil war, with its infrastructure
especially among the large young-adult currency peg in 2009 but reinstituted destroyed, but that is exactly what makes
population. Only about 70% of the it in April 2016 and maintains an Angola a particularly interesting case for
population is literate, and the rate drops overvalued exchange rate. this sector.
to around 60% for women. TOURISM IN ANGOLA In addition to the areas that are difficult
The youthful population - about 45% The south-west African country of to reach in the interior of the country,
are under the age of 15 - is expected to Angola is waking up to its tourism there are many areas that already offer
continue growing rapidly with a fertility potential, offering opportunities for interesting possibilities for investment
rate of more than 5 children per woman visitors and investors alike. One of the in the tourism sector. Of course, it is also
and a low rate of contraceptive use. most unspoilt regions is the Namibe a tourism oriented to an entrepreneurial
Fewer than half of women deliver their desert, which stretches 2,000 kilometres market and less demanding in terms
babies with the assistance of trained across three countries. of comfort. The virgin territory is
health care personnel, which contributes The desert runs all the way from the very suitable for ecological tourism,
to Angola’s high maternal mortality rate. Iona National Park in Angola, through sustainable, respectful of the
Increased oil production supported Namibia, to South Africa’s Kalahari environment,
Three examples of investment in the
growth averaging more than 17% per Desert - more than 80,000 square
year from 2004 to 2008. A postwar kilometres. You can drive for hours tourism sector: the tropical beaches
between Luanda and Benguela, with
reconstruction boom and resettlement along the Corridor of the Tides, where enchanting panoramas and within reach
of displaced persons led to high the desert meets the ocean. of the contemporary tourist; the Namibe
rates of growth in construction and Namibe means ‘’vast place’’ in the local desert (which marks the beginning of the
agriculture as well. Some of the country’s language and it lives up to its name – a nameless desert Namibia), as beautiful
infrastructure is still damaged or tourism wonderland with a spectacular as Namibia in terms of natural beauties
undeveloped from the 27-year-long civil coastline. and cultural interest; the breathtaking
war (1975-2002). Until 1975, Angola had developed mountains of the Huila Plateau.
However, the government since 2005 has a certain tourist tradition that was There is already a growing tourism that
used billions of dollars in credit from successively canceled by the war. Few discovers the Angolan beauties. With
China, Brazil, Portugal, Germany, Spain, know the great tourist potential of this the increase in domestic demand and
and the EU to help rebuild Angola’s territory that has remained closed to the the potential of foreign tourism, which
public infrastructure. Land mines left world for decades. has already registered the first signs of
from the war still mar the countryside, Tourism, like other riches in the interest after three years of the end of
and as a result, the national military, country, is still only a “potential” the war (investments in the hotel and
international partners, and private factor, but certainly Angola offers many tourism sector are gaining increasing
Angolan firms all continue to remove opportunities in this sense, thanks to its interest. Besides the natural beauties,
them. vast and extremely varied territory from the country is attractive especially to
The global recession that started in 2008 the point of view of climate, agriculture our compatriots, due to the presence
stalled Angola’s economic growth and and landscape, still unknown by the of a culture that, in many ways, is close
many construction projects stopped tourism. Some South African and to that Italian due to the common
because Luanda accrued billions Namibian entrepreneurs are already Neolatina matrix.

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