The bulk of tourism in Mali is based on cultural sites, which is different from other African countries that feature large tourism sectors based on their natural features.
However, Mali is most endowed with World Heritage sites in Africa. The international community recognised all of the mosques Djingary Ber and Sankore in Timbuktu, the mosque of Djenne, and Dogon Country. The tomb of Askia in Gao, and jaaral and degal in Diafarabe and Dialloube through listing in the UNESCO World Heritage.
Even though the government of Mali wants foreign investment, the country is a difficult place to do business. Successful ventures are those that build strong local partnerships, many firms also discover that visiting Mali will be important to see conditions and meet possible business partners. Mali, however, had security concerns (esp. in central and northern Mali) since 2012 which have limited business and tourist travel in the country. U.S. citizens are urged to read the current Department of State Travel Advisory for Mali and to review the present Country Specific Information for Mali and the latest alerts and messages for U.S. citizens.
API–Mali
API–Mali is one stop shop for prospective investors, and offers its services to all Malian enterprises as well as to foreign businesses from all sizes and all locations. API Mali’s website covers all pertinent information to potential investors such as business registration, investment opportunities, tax incentives, etc. It may also be possible to contact BamakoEcon@state.gov for information about doing business in Mali and commercial services for U.S. companies (such as the Gold Key business matchmaking service). It can also be useful to make use of Mali’s new American Chamber of Commerce.
The new cultural sites, to the beautiful landscapes, the colorful neighbourhoods and villages. The central Niger Delta with its earthen architecture and the Ramsar sites that receive each year thousands of water birds and the Sahara desert on which the excitement grows while you travel through the country.
Tourism in Mali: culture, hospitality, and challenges
Mali is a crafts and tourism country by its geographical position and its history and culture. But Malians themselves are the greatest wealth of Mali’s tourism industry. The diatiguiya, as a result, makes each visit to Mali a memorable one because of their hospitality, warmness and openness to all visitors. The extra attention to the visitor is not the only characteristic of Diatiguiya, as is the quality of sharing and listening. Mali has a very rich cultural background and therefore the country celebrates various Festivals in various areas of the country: cultural festivals, music festivals, and religious Festivals. During which there are discussions forums taking part by various foreigners from all continents. Mali has poor development of tourism. Before the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations, tourism had been slow to develop, but issues with their infrastructure had prevented this from improving.
Overview
The country was not advanced enough in terms of transport infrastructure and lack of hotels for visitors, which thwarted development of the country’s tourist industry. In 2002, the Africa Cup of Nations soccer tournament was held in Mali. Before this event, the government had put in place a social development programme called Mali 2002. This programme helped the tourist industry. Yet since then, conflicts have continued to the point where tourism has become a ghost of its previous self as there are still ongoing risks of attacks against foreign nationals.
Warnings against tourism
Several areas of the country are also listed by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office as areas where all but essential travel is not recommended since 2012. And a complete ban on travel to other areas. That does not mean that travellers from the UK can’t go there, but they would have to go there independently and without insurance. There are no direct flights from the United Kingdom to Mali, and British tour operators do not fly to the country. It says the situation in Mali remains unstable and there is a high threat from terrorism, attacks could be indiscriminate including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.
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