DJIBOUTI IS AFRICA’S NEW DUBAI.
BY ABDULMUMINI ADEKU
Located on a tiny stretch of land fondly called Horn of Africa, The Republic of Djibouti will soon be the new location for
investments in Africa with tourists attracted to the new progress the nation
has made in that field.
At its recent Business Forum in Lagos, Nigeria which had a
lot of members of the Diplomatic Corp and Business Leaders of Both Djibouti and
Nigeria in attendance aside from members of the local media ,it was discovered that
not less than $14Billion worth of investments were now been made available
to foreign investors by the Djibouti government
in the maritime sector alone as it strives to make the nation attractive to investors.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event venue at Federal
Palace Hotels In Victoria Island, Lagos The Senior Director, Strategic
Planning, Air Djibouti ,Mr Dawit .W. Michael Gebre –AB who gave clues to Paedia
Express Multimedia exclusively noted excitedly that his nation was the next biggest
thing to happen to the world.
He allayed the fears of the investing public over the possible
attack of their operations by terrorists and sea pirates saying that such situations have now been
brought under control as there government were aware of what such can do to affect
investors psyche.
He assured that at the moment his nation’s brand architects
were interested in helping tourists to reduce travel time by six hours across
Africa .
He revealed exclusively to this reporter that Air Djibouti
will start flying the Lagos route shortly .
According to him efforts were been made to relax the visa
rules of his nation so that lawful
business men can get their visas on point of entry.
In a related issue, the Chairman of Djibouti Ports and Free
Zones Authority, Mr Aboubakar Omar Hadi while discussing with the tiny but very
powerful audience at the event said that his nation was trying to develop sea air cargo to serve landlocked East and
Central African countries as well as
those in West Africa as situations have showed that a lot of interests progress
in trade have been hampered in the past.
His words;’a container shipped from shanghai,China to Abuja,
Nigeria can take anything up to 75 days while a sea air option trans shipped in
Djibouti only takes a maximum of 20 days”
“the return flights will encourage and help African
countries to export their fresh produce to countries in the Middle East and
beyond,with trade to and from African countries on a rapid increase ,my message
to all involved in air cargo is to take advantage of this untouched yet vast growth
potential market while delivering efficient and improved services to clients”
He affirmed that his nation has embarked on a massive
expansion of its infrastructural base as a whopping U.S.$599 new investments is
soon to be undertaken by Djibouti through the construction of 2 additional airports
,with one been targeted at tourism specifically.
He added that the two new airports should begin full operations
sometimes by 2018, as efforts were also been made by the nation “s leaders to
upgrade the current cargo terminal at Djibouti at a cost of $2million to boost
cold storage materials ,warehousing while at the same time enhancing safety for
improved working environment .
Tourism in Djibouti
is one of the growing economic sectors of the country and is an industry that
generates 40,000 and 53,000 arrivals per year, with its favorable beaches and
climate and also include islands and beaches in the Gulf of Tadjoura and the Bab al-Mandab.[1] The majority of tourists come to Djibouti from Europe. Other visitors come from North America and Asia.[1]
Overview
At Goubbet
al Kharab, near the western end of the Gulf of Tadjoura, there are steep cliffs and a
bay that was turned dark green by black lava. A number of active volcanoes are
located inland from here. Another popular tourist attraction is the Day Forest National
Park for conserving rare trees on Mount Goda. Near the town of Ali Sabieh are famously red mountains and a
national park full of many gazelles.[1]
The coastal plains, mountain ranges,
and volcanic plateaus of the country make a picturesque sight. Some popular
local attractions include the Presidential Palace, the Central Market, Maskali Islands, Moucha Island, Lake Abbe and Lake Assal.
The coastlines of Djibouti harbor many stretches of beaches that are frequented
by sun bathers and other visitors.
The Djiboutian government, realizing
the great potential of development of national tourism, takes a variety of
measures for this - for example, the maximum mode facilitating foreign
investment in tourism infrastructure. Priority is given to the construction of
hotels and the construction of roads that meet the latest international
standards.[citation needed]
Regulation
The tourist industry in Djibouti is
regulated by the Ministry of Commerce and Tourism.[2]
According to the UNWTO, the annual
number of tourists visiting the country is uncertain. However, international
tourism locally generated $21 million USD in revenue in 2012.[3]
Attractions
Djibouti has a number of local
attractions, consisting of historical sites, beaches, mountain ranges.
Historical
sites
- Tadjoura – Korijib is one of the oldest mosques in the Horn of Africa.
- Djibouti City – The Grand Mosque of Hamoudi.
- Loyada – Beach and palm grove, with the tombs of important historical leaders in the region.
Beaches
The Khor Ambado beachside.
- Siesta Beach – Djibouti City
- Red Sea Beach – Near Obock
- Khor Ambado – Near Djibouti City
- Le Sable Blanc – Tadjoura
- Doraleh Beach – Near Djibouti City
- Heron Beach – Djibouti City
Mountain
ranges
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