Tourism Economy and Local Development in San-Pedro

Abstract

Coastal city of the Ivory Coast, San-Pedro is rich in natural, economic and tourist resources. This study analyses the contribution of the tourism economy to local development. Documentary research and a field survey were used to collect data. It should be remembered that San-Pedro has floristic, climatic and hydrographic assets. Moreover, human capital is one of the pillars of this activity with a diversity of actors, a socio-cultural wealth including remarkable historic sites (10) and twenty-eight (28) tourist establishments of varied standing. Despite these assets, the tourist economy suffers from an organizational dysfunction and a weakness in investments. With 64% of the Ivorian workforce working mainly in informal or ephemeral sectors linked to the tourism economy, only 10% of the households surveyed said they were feeling the effects of it. The spatial, social and economic impact of the tourist sector remains below the real potential of this locality and below expectations.