Tourism in the Far North takes a nosedive

Cameroon's economy is partly affected by the abuses of the Nigerian terrorist sect Boko Haram. Hence, the tourism sector which was flourishing in the far north of Cameroon has declined as many tourists no longer patronise sites in this area due to incursions by Islamic militants.

The first consequence of this situation has been the drastic decrease in tourism activities, among other things, parks and hotels. All the tourist facilities lie vacant in the area.

"We were forced to put more than half of our staff on technical leave, because we are short of funds due to the fall in activities. We cannot keep them and pay regularly as we used to," said the manager of a hotel based in Maroua.

According to the Ministry of tourism and recreation (MINTOUL), "the occupancy rate of some hotels has decreased from 90 per cent to 30 per cent".

In addition, the famous tourist areas like Waza Park are empty as tourists fear they could be kidnapped. That notwithstanding, Cameroonian authorities are doing their best by putting in place security measures to prevent such happenings.