Why tourism professionals in Senegal are trying to avoid the worst

The Minister of the Interior and the Minister of Tourism of Senegal are playing on different scores concerning the visa requirement for foreigners and in particular from Schengen countries. We had already experienced the same attitude in 2013!!

Ministers in Senegal play hot and cold

The Senegalese authorities are expected to tighten the visa regime when entering the country by the end of the year, Interior Minister Aly Ngouille Ndiaye said on Thursday 10 October. For his part, the Minister of Tourism, Alioune Sarr, stated at the beginning of October that Senegal had no intention of questioning the visa exemption for tourists.

The reasons given by the Minister of the Interior are multiple

While raising issues related to the security of the country, the Minister seems to want to impose the principle of reciprocity.

Senegal would require visas for nationals of countries that require Senegalese visitors to obtain a visa themselves. This is the case for the Schengen countries.

In 2013, Senegal had already imposed a visa

On July 01, 2013, Senegal required foreigners to apply for a biometric visa of about 50 euros, for a stay of less than 90 days, to enter Senegal.

This decision was withdrawn several months later but with serious consequences for tourism.

Professionals want to act

Security threats are not holding up and tourism professionals must meet with the authorities to prevent this measure from coming into force.

Serge Fabre