6. Ecotourism Assessment_Gabon.pdf

Gabon

Congo Basin Nature-Based Tourism Assessment

Country Snapshot Pages 1-2

Country Analysis & Recommendations

Pages 3-10

Priority Site Packets Page 11

Destination Snapshot Key Page 12

Ivindo National Park Site Snapshot, Site Scorecard, Site Analysis, & Recommendations Pages 13-20

Lopé National Park Site Snapshot, Site Scorecard, Site Analysis, & Recommendations Pages 21-29

Loango National Park Site Snapshot, Site Scorecard, Site Analysis, & Recommendations Pages 30-37

Moukalaba-Doudou National Park Site Snapshot, Site Scorecard, Site Analysis, & Recommendations Pages 38-44

Pongara National Park Site Snapshot, Site Scorecard, Site Analysis, & Recommendations Pages 45-52

Akanda National Park Site Snapshot, Site Scorecard, Site Analysis, & Recommendations Pages 53-60

Monts de Cristal National Park Site Snapshot, Site Scorecard, Site Analysis, & Recommendations Pages 61-66

Table of Contents

E-Visa:

Yes

Tourist Visa Cost:

US, UK, and EU Citizens:

$92 short stay visa, single entry (<3 months)

Supplementary Requirements:

For US Citizens: Hotel reservation, agenda from an existing tour guide company, and flight itinerary.

Nuances of the visa process:

E-Visa applications take approximately 72 hours.

As of January 2024, the visa exemption process that was in place for some citizens, e.g. those from Europe and the USA, has been revoked. Visa applications now require a letter of invitation as well as a representative of the organization providing the letter of recommendation to be present at the airport on arrival of the visitor to sign documents.

Tourism Visa Information

National Tourism Strategies & Policy

The UNWTO Tourism Dashboard & WTTC’s Gabon Country Report

Estimated Travel & Tourism Jobs:

16,900, 3.2% of country total (2019) 15,500, 2.8% of country total (2022)

GDP Contribution:

$510M USD/2.7% (2019)

$420M USD/2.2% (2022)

Inbound Arrivals:

No data

International Visitor Spending:

$60M USD (2019), $30M USD (2022)

Domestic Visitor Spending:

$350M USD (2019), $300M USD (2022)

Top Source Markets (2022):

No data

There were no specific national-level tourism associations found in Gabon.

However...

National Tourism Associations

In May 2023, the Gabon Ministry of Tourism hosted the African Sustainable Tourism Meetings, in partnership with the African Network of Tourism Professionals (RAPT), a continent-wide tourism association.

During this event, one of the specified goals was to “Strengthen the capacities of tourism professionals - including associations.” It is unclear if this indicates the current existence of national-level associations or forward-thinking regarding future Gabonese tourism associations.

In February 2020, the Gabon Ministry of Tourism, Trade, SMEs, and Industry developed the 2020-2025 National Tourism Strategy.

Due to this proximity to the Covid-19 pandemic, it is unclear how much of this strategy has been implemented.

Gabon’s vision for tourism by 2025, as outlined in their National Strategy, is: “Gabon becomes the flagship destination for ecotourism in Africa and the flagship destination for business & events tourism in Central Africa.”

6 strategic intervention points are outlined:

Renovate the institutional and legal framework for tourism & strengthen governance Develop a culture of welcoming tourists Create the tourist offer and strong destination branding Guarantee sustainable financing Create zones of tourist interest (ZITs) Develop infrastructure and bring tourist facilities up to standard

Destination Snapshot:

Gabon Target Country

Major International Hubs

Leon-Mba International Airport (LBV) Located in: Libreville, Gabon’s capital city

Flight Volume: 18 direct destinations

Non-major routes:

Bamako, Mali Lome, Togo Cotonou, Benin Malabo, Cameroon Douala, Cameroon Yaounde, Cameroon Bata, Equatorial Guinea Sao Tome, ST&P Brazzaville, Rep. of Congo Pointe-Noire, Rep. of Congo Kigali, Rwanda

Major routes:

Paris, France Istanbul, Turkiye Casablanca, Morocco Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire Luanda, Angola Johannesburg, South Africa Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Ivindo National Park

4.5/5 stars 8 Reviews

Moukalaba-Douou National Park

3/5 stars 2 Reviews

Akanda National Park

4.5/5 stars 9 Reviews

Top National Parks for Tourism, based on traveler content on TripAdvisor (2023)

TripAdvisor

183 properties listed, low volume 2,129 hotel reviews

Product variation:

Budget: 15, MidRange: 25, Luxury: 5

57 ‘Things to Do’ listed 10 tours linked for booking

Online Presence

Lonely Planet

24 ‘Must-See Sights’ No linked activities for booking

13 National Parks listed:

Lopé, Loango. Pongara, Mayumba, Ivindo, Minkébé, Batéké Plateau, Monts de Cristal, Akanda, Moukalaba-Doudou, Waka, Mwagna

National Tourism Website:

‘Discover Gabon’

Site is hard to find (google), but once found is stunning, well laid out and has good information for travelers to act on.

Overall Score: 75% Regional Average: 35% www.discovergabon.com

Easy to Find (Tourism [Name])

Google Meta Description

Stunning Imagery

General Overview Information

What to Do

Where to Stay

How to Get There

Ability to Learn and Then Act on Information

Tourism Website Ranking Criteria: ‘Discover Gabon’

Information gathered from: DiscoverGabon, LonelyPlanet (Nov. 2023), Tripadvisor (Nov. 2023), WEF Competitiveness Index (2019), UNWTO Tourism Dashboards, WTTC Country Reports, Embassy Websites, FlightConnections.com, LogisticsCluster.org, Independent Field Research, and Independent Stakeholder Interviews.

Destination Snapshot:

Gabon Target Country https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat%C3%A9k%C3%A9_Plateau_National_Park https://www.discovergabon.com/

[1]Wolf, M. J., Emerson, J. W., Esty, D. C., de Sherbinin, A., Wendling, Z. A., et al. (2022). 2022 Environmental Performance Index. New Haven, CT:

Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy. Epi.yale.edu [2]Gabon Geography Report, CountryReports.org [3]Gabon Country Profile, WorldData.info

Gabon has 62 total protected areas, covering 59,708km², including 13 terrestrial national parks that cover 11% of the county, protecting a mosaic of 6 ecosystems. Protection extends beyond the land, with wetlands and marine reserves contributing to a total protected area covering 22.44% of Gabon's landmass, as reported by Protected Planet. Gabon is ranked #16 globally on the Biodiversity & Habitat Category of the Environmental Performance Index (2022) [1], indicating a strong commitment from the government to protect its natural land-and-seascapes. Notably, the nation maintains an exceptionally low average annual deforestation rate of 0.0004%, the lowest rate in the world for a natural tropical forest.

Gabon has nearly 85% of its landmass covered by heavy equatorial rainforests. There are 885 km of coastline along the Gulf of Guinea and roughly 30 islands off the coast. The country is largely flat, but features 3 distinct landscape regions: “a narrow coastal plain, a hilly interior, and a savanna in the far-east and south.” [2] [3]

The Gabonese National Agency for National Parks (ANPN) is the agency charged with oversight and management of all the protected areas in Gabon. In some parks they have established concessions with private operators to run tourism facilities. There are no public-private-partnership agreements currently in place for organizations to manage or co-manage parks, as there are in other countries with organizations such as African Parks, although this may be an area for future exploration.

According to limited available public data from the early 2000’s, Gabon had a 5-year average of 323,000 visitors a year. Gabon has not reported its national visitor arrivals for the last decade, so current international visitation is unknown. There is a need for better tourism data to support planning and decision making in the country for both government and the private sector. An e-visa system was established in the country to improve the visa application and processing process and facilitate travel to the country along with exemption for G20 member country nationals.

However this has recently been rolled back and the application process now requires an official letter of invitation, often with the physical presence of the local inviting “representative” required at the airport. To boost tourism there is a need to re-establish the e-visa and exemption structure.

Since the political changes of late 2023, the new Government has restructured its Ministry of Water and Forests and created a new Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Human- Wildlife Conflict. The Gabonese National Agency for National Parks (ANPN) falls under to Presidency that has delegated it to the Ministry of Water and Forests. The Ministry of Tourism and Crafts oversees the National Agency for the Promotion of Tourism (AGATOUR). A 2020- 2025 National Tourism Strategy has been developed that provides a vision for tourism in the country and identifies strategic interventions as well as six regions of Gabon that are a priority for tourism. Several of the protected areas shortlisted in this analysis fall within these areas of focus.

Overview

Country Analysis:

Gabon https://www.countryreports.org/country/Gabon/geography.htm https://www.worlddata.info/africa/gabon/index.php

The ‘Discover Gabon’ website and marketing materials provide the country with a strong ‘face’ in the tourism market, especially compared to regional peers. Gabon has abundant natural resources and a diversity of habitats to attract visitors. Some of the highlights of the country's nature-tourism assets include the largest population of forest elephants in the world, significant populations and diversity of apes, the world’s largest leatherback turtle nesting site, 659 species of birds and 10,000 species of plants (15% endemic).

Although tourism is occurring in the country, there is a lot of room for growth within the nature-based tourism sector. There are several significant tour operators and lodging companies operating in a select number of protected parks, but at a national scale the number of operators in the sector is limited. There are needs for service and facility improvements in and around protected areas, as well as general infrastructure improvements, to develop stronger tourism circuits in the country.

Despite Time Magazine rating Loango National Park as a top 50 destination for 2023, Gabon is still relatively unknown in the global tourism marketplace and most of the information currently in front of potential visitors is dominated by recent political changes. Promoting the positive stories of the country and its natural assets will be critical to the growth of tourism in Gabon.

Based on the screening process conducted by the assessment team, seven protected landscapes have significant short and medium-term tourism potential in the country:

Ivindo National Park Lopé National Park Loango National Park Moukalaba-Doudou National Park Pongara National Park Akanda National Park Monts de Cristal National Park

Nature-Based Tourism

Country Analysis:

Political Environment The recent political changes in Gabon may give pause to potential travelers and investors (especially international high-value ecotourists) due to the uncertainty associated with these changes and how it might impact trips. However as this stabilizes these fears will likely subside and opportunity to attract visitors and investment may be more forthcoming. At the time of writing this report it is unclear the level of prioritization the government will give to tourism.

There is a need to see short-term results/impact from the sector to gain greater awareness at the political level. This could be achieved through high profile media and influencer campaigns to give Gabon a positive ‘splash’ on the global stage and build awareness within the country as well as internationally. This would also help to re-engage with international visitors to position the country as a safe place to travel and highlight the positive aspects that Gabon has to offer.

Kenya is a good model for such campaigns, where they have overcome negative global press through effective storytelling about the positive attractions of the country.

Doing Business According to stakeholder surveys, Gabon is relatively easier to do business in compared to other countries in the Congo Basin. This is however relative and Gabon ranks 169 out of 190 countries globally and 35 in Africa measured for overall ‘ease of doing business.’ Although low, this is one of the best rankings of the five Congo Basin countries surveyed (Cameroon is ranked 34 in Africa).

Breaking the ranking down further, Gabon ranks 16 in Africa for opening a business (a much better ranking than countries like Uganda and Tanzania, but not as good as Rwanda) and 22 for access to credit. It ranks low on factors such as protecting minority investors (which is a constraint in attracting international investors), taxes, enforcing contracts and registering property.

Gabon also provides some incentives for tourism investment. Investments in tourism are exempt from VAT and corporate income tax (for the first 3 years) when they invest over 300 million XAF (about $500,000 USD). For companies investing in the tourism sector where investment is less than XAF 300 million, they benefit from a 5% tax credit during their first 5 years. Enacted in 2000 (updated in 2019), the Tourism Investment Code provides tax incentives to foreign tourism investors during their first 8 years of operations. There are also active efforts, such as those mentioned in the previous section to attract investment in the ecotourism sector.

Enabling Environment

Infrastructure, Access & Services International air access to Gabon is one of the best in the Congo Basin region, with flights to 18 destinations in 16 countries. These include regional peers Cameroon and the Republic of Congo providing opportunities for regional packaging as well as major international hubs such as Paris, Istanbul and Addis Ababa.

The domestic aviation sector has had significant investment recently and improvements to equipment and safety. Gabon’s national airlines were removed from the EU’s airline ‘blacklist’ in 2019, eliminating a hurdle for international travel markets. Investment is still needed in park airstrips to facilitate travel, but a lot of progress has been made in this sector in recent years.

Data is limited on the road network in Gabon, but it is reported by stakeholders to be generally degraded and in need of improvement. It is estimated that there are about 14,300 km of roadways in the country and it was reported in 2022 that 20% of these roads are surfaced. This would equate to 5.34km of roads for every 100km² of land area in the country, which is on par with Cameroon but much lower that the Republic of Congo which has 55.5 km of roads for every 100km² of land area.

As with many of the countries in the Congo Basin, access to trained staff is a challenge. There is a need to improve workforce capacity in the country, from accommodation and restaurant staff to guides and drivers. Stakeholders report that there is considerable interest from Gabonese youth in the sector and language skills, especially English are quite good in comparison with neighboring countries. With a small but strong tourism private sector, training programs should focus on collaborations with these organizations, who can guide what skills are needed and how best to deliver trainings.

Enabling Environment

Other Enablers Building on the work of the Government and partners to create the national parks network in the early 2000s, in recent years a Pilot Tourism Committee was created with the support of the international conservation NGO Space for Giants, through its Giants Club initiative which assists national governments to build their country’s nature-based economy through a conservation investment platform that seeks to transform protected areas into engines for revenue generation.

At the time, this Tourism Committee consisted of a Ministerial-level Working Group and a Technical Working Group, although this will likely be restructured with the current government. Themes and agenda points of the Technical Working Group focused on creating the enabling environment for conservation and tourism investments, including:

E-visa improvement and tourist entry Domestic aviation improvement - Aircraft Operator Certification, operationalization and infrastructure Investor pathway and roadmap - prospectus, incentives, guidelines and a delivery unit Marketing and communications - including Discover Gabon destination marketing campaign New investments - promotion of ecotourism concessions, tourism product development, circuits, investor/operator outreach Nature-based tourism benchmarking - regional and continental Visits to Gabon for potential investors, media and influencers Priority tourism development segmentation, mapping, assessments, alignment and communications Fundraising and partnership development Human resources - capacity building, skills training, professional development Securing habitats - park management plans, park protection technology, etc.

Key milestones achieved by the technical working group from 2021-23 included:

Investment prospectus Publication of ‘Investor Journey’ roadmap, guidelines for investment in national parks and concession models Creation of an ‘Investor Delivery Unit’ Launch of ‘Discover Gabon’ destination marketing campaign and website

Enabling Environment

Recommendations

Review, improve and re-establish e-visa system as well as visa exemptions to make it easier (and therefore more attractive) for travelers to visit Gabon. This includes clarification of concerns with the previous system to ensure it aligns with government objectives and investment in hardware/software fixes as well as training for staff involved in the system.

**Produce/harmonize a national master plan for nature-based tourism and through this process re-establish the Tourism Committee and its working group, according to new government structure. The planning process would be used as a catalyst to form the Committee and an initial project of the Committee. The plan would incorporate existing plans, strategies, prioritized tourism zones, etc. as well as the new government's goals into one cohesive vision for nature-based tourism in the country. Components of the plan would include investment and tourism product development, infrastructure, services, capacity needs, as well as policy, regulatory and tax issues/incentives that would facilitate investment in the sector.

The planning effort should also result in quick action to build momentum in the sector, so it is recommended that a marketing and storytelling campaign be designed as a part of the planning effort and implemented immediately upon completion of the plan. This would focus on promoting the positive image of Gabon’s natural assets and attractions to local, regional and international visitors through content creation (video/images/text), direct engagement with tour operators and media/influencer/tour operators familiarization trips.

Lower Cost & Short-Term Actions:

**Critical Enabler

Country Analysis:

Gabon

**There is a need for comprehensive assessment, prioritization and cost analysis of the infrastructure and facility needs across the seven protected areas identified as priorities in this study. The goal of the assessment is to establish a strong foundation for nature-based tourism to grow and to further develop tourism circuits in the country. This would include road, water and air (airstrip) assets for each park. This could be aligned with the potential World Bank loan and may be modeled on similar World Bank projects in Tanzania where they supported the government to lay the foundation to strengthen the southern tourism circuit in the country.

Investment and policy actions that could facilitate tourism in the short-term include relaunch of the ‘Investor Delivery Unit’ with an updated portfolio of potential private sector investments within target protected areas alongside investment prospectuses. With these updated materials the Unit could re-engage with international investors/operators who had shown previous interest in Gabon as well as engage with domestic/resident investors on the tourism opportunities within the priority protected areas. The investment portfolio would include concessions within parks, such as lodging and activities, as well as the transportation, such as the domestic aviation sector.

**Infrastructure and facility improvements are needed across the priority protected areas. Once the assessment, prioritization and cost analysis is complete along with the nature-based tourism plan (see short-term recommendation), investments should be made in each parks infrastructure, with a focus on drive in travelers for Pongara, Akanda and Monts de Cristal National Parks and fly-in travelers for Ivindo, Lopé, Loango and Moukalaba-Doudou National Parks. This may include development/improvement of airstrips, boat access points/equipment and roads as well as visitor centers/entrance facilities, viewing platforms, camp sites and possible site preparations for private investment into the parks.

**Investment promotion efforts should build on the work of the ‘Investor Delivery Unit’ to package potential investments in parks, attract and engage with investors (foreign and domestic) as well as facilitate the process to get investors into the parks. As the type of investors may be different, the Unit may take a market type and circuit based approach, clustering into two circuits that would be promoted to different investor types:

Primarily domestic/resident market tourism products around a Pongara, Akanda and Monts de Cristal National Parks cluster Primarily higher-spending international markets around a Ivindo, Lopé, Loango and Moukalaba-Doudou National Parks circuit

In parallel to the investment promotion efforts there is a need to identify modalities and structures for community engagement and ownership in the tourism industry. Where donor funds are used to incentivize investment into sites (e.g. challenge grants that match investor funds), these funds should be structured as community equity in the investment, with a return to the community from the operation of the facility. Additional benefits for communities should also be integrated into investments, including minimum local employment requirements and conservation linked social programs.

Higher Cost & Medium-Term Actions:

**Critical Enabler

Marketing Gabon as a travel destination is also critical. A multi-year campaign should be designed and implemented that targets domestic/resident markets and separately international nature-based tourism markets. Both campaigns will have a focus on generating high quality content to tell the stories of the parks and targeting tour operators that can help package and promote trips to the parks. Partner tour operators would learn about each destination, have access to materials and content they can use to promote and sell as well as have support in itinerary building efforts. Familiarization trips would also help these operators experience and understand the parks. The program would then support tour operators to promote the parks/itineraries to their markets. By leveraging partnerships in promotional efforts the impact can be scaled and the program would be helping to establish the sales channels for travel that will continue after the campaign is complete.

Alongside large investments in facilities and infrastructure there is also a need to develop the tourism activities and experiences for visitors, ideally linked to communities in the landscapes where tourism occurs. This may be done at the site level (e.g. specific parks), but where investments are being made across multiple landscapes simultaneously it also makes sense to layer this component onto these activities. Developing a program modeled on the Uganda open source Ukarimu Academy (https://ukarimuacademy.org/downloads/) or similar programs, that could support the development of a critical mass of tourism experiences in each landscape would enhance the overall ‘package’ for visitors and compliment larger investments.

Higher Cost & Medium-Term Actions (continued):

**Critical Enabler

Country Analysis:

Gabon

There are several needs to improve the capabilities of this working in the tourism sector.

There is a need to enhance the capacity of staff within government departments so that they have the skills to manage and implement the national tourism strategy. This may take the form of formal trainings as well as study tours to learn from what other peer countries are doing and bring that knowledge back to Gabon.

There is also a need to improve the skills and capabilities of the tourism workforce. As the tourism private sector are the ultimate employers it's imperative that they are engaged in guiding the types of training that are established in the country and that it is practical for their needs. A model such as the Ukarimu Academy in Uganda could be employed for this effort as it is a more practical and less costly approach to localized training than more formal training institutions.

https://ukarimuacademy.org/downloads/

Gabon: Priority Protected Areas Destination Snapshots, Scorecards, Site Analyses, & Recommendations

Destination Maturity Scale:

None = No tourism facilities or tourist infrastructure in the park

Basic = Only simple, self-service facilities in the park

Limited = One serviced tourism facility operating in the park

Diverse = Multiple serviced tourism facilities & touristic infrastructure in the park

Destination Maturity Definitions:

Nearby park headquarters = Within 5-10km of park boundary

Self-serviced accommodations = no staff, basic facilities. Serviced accommodations = Comes with some type of formal touristic service (i.e., staff, a restaurant, etc.)

Visitor activities special request = They need to be organized through an NGO or other organization and are not readily commercially available

Visitor activities openly available = They are commercially available to visitors, without the need for special connections

Accessibility:

International Air = The closest &/or most popular international airport for tourists to the park

Domestic Air = The closest domestic airports or local airstrips for travelers to the park

Ground & Water = Details roads and waterways used to access the park, including route information from airports and nearby cities

Within Parks = How travelers move within park boundaries, including relevant roadways, waterways, hiking paths, and relevant modes of transportation

Seasonality Icons:

Sun = Dry season(s)

Rain = Wet/Rainy season(s)

When relevant, also includes important wildlife seasons and/or the ‘best’ time to visit.

Geographic Features:

Standout, iconic, or distinctive geographic features in or around the park

Wildlife:

Key species that can be found in the park

Human Capital:

Description of the technical expertise available in and around the park (i.e., conservation partners &

NGOs) as well as the tourism capacities of local communities and residents.

Destination Snapshots Key

Ivindo National Park, Gabon

Quick Facts:

298,758 Hectares Old-growth rainforests

Expansive river systems and waterfalls IUCN Category - Not Reported UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site Park Entry Fee: Unknown Primate Habituation: No

Seasonality:

June-August, January September-December, February-May The best time to visit Kongou Falls is November-April

Accessibility:

Int’l Air

Léon-Mba International Airport (Libreville) 20 km drive to Owendo Train Station

Most itineraries recommend travelers stay a night in Libreville before either taking the train or a charter flight to the park.

Domestic Air

Makokou Airport:

Private charter flights

To Ivindo:

~3 hour canoe trip into the park

Park staff meet travelers at the

Makokou airport for transfer into the park

Airstrip sites within the park are feasible, but none exist at present

Ground

Trans Gabon Railway Daily access to the park 3 seat class types available

On train: Owendo Port Station (in Libreville) to Booué Station (50km west of park boundary):

~7 hours on average

From Booué to Kongou Falls:

5 hour drive to Makokou, then a 3-hour journey to

Kongou by motorized pirogue (noted as dangerous).

Some travelers have reported that driving from Libreville to Ivindo is possible, but it is long (~12 hours) and far less comfortable than the train.

Within Park

Limited road infrastructure within park.

River systems offer amazing boat access throughout, by pirogue or motorized boat.

Walking trails to all the popular waterfalls.

Accommodations & Facilities

Site Destination Maturity

Relative to the Congo Basin Market

Screenshot from ProtectedPlanet.net

Transportation Infrastructure

Park Headquarters

Availability of

Accommodations

Accommodation

Product Variation

Visitor Activities

Activity Product Variation

None Basic Limited Diverse

Ipassa Research Camp

Located outside of Makokou and occasionally hosts travelers.

Fair

Offsite

Self-service

Low

Special Request

Medium

Gabon Wildlife Camps & Safaris used to operate Kongou Forest Camp & Langoué Base Camp in Ivindo, however, it appears that these are no longer operational and GWCS is no longer present in Ivindo.

As of January 2024, the website which mentions these camps’ existence is outdated and does not reflect the realities of available accommodations in the park.

There is a camp within the park being managed privately.

Additional information on this camp and its potential for enabling tourism is unknown.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9on-Mba_International_Airport

TripAdvisor Reviews2018

Information sourced from TripAdvisor (Nov. 2023), Google Reviews (Nov. 2023), Space For Giants: ‘Gabon Conservation EcoTourism Investment Prospectus’ (2021), Gabon Wildlife Camps, BirdLife International (2024), UNESCO, Protected Planet, LogisticsCluster.org, Government Websites, Independent Field Visits, and Stakeholder Interviews

Google Reviews Rating:

Human Capital

The Gabonese National Agency for National Parks

(ANPN) is the agency charged with oversight and management of the protected areas. Though they have not ceded full management responsibilities to outside organizations, they do curate tourism concessions and other partnerships within the parks.

The Institute for Research for Tropical Ecology (IRET) runs the Ipassa Research Station.

The International Foundation for Gabon Ecotourism

(FIGET) works in Ivindo.

FIGET’s two main goals are:

Promote environmentally friendly ecotourism & Promote sustainable development opportunities for the benefit of local populations.

“Ivindo NP is definitely not cheap. It's also not easy to reach by any stretch of the imagination [...] Worth every penny.”

“This is probably the remotest place on Earth that I've ever visited. The wildlife watching and hearing is sublime. It truly feels like an Eden.”“The guides and rangers were extremely helpful and accommodating, and the food was surprisingly tasty for such a remotelocation.”“This is the place to go in Gabon to see the magnificent waterfalls that you may have seen pictures of.”

Google Maps (2023) Ivindo National Park.

TripAdvisor Reviews 2019 - 2023

“The places we visited were amazing and totally worth the journey.”

“It's a long and grueling trek to reach

Ivindo. I wouldn't recommend it for people who are unfit or weak walkers. It's only for hardened travelers.”

“The bai is just fabulous you'll have the opportunity to see elephants, gorillas, and red river hogs all in the same place. The bird watching is also fantastic.”

“One of the last virgin forests to explore in the world.”

“It's a great experience once in a lifetime.”

2 Total Reviews

TripAdvisor Rating:

8 Total Reviews

Current & Potential Natural Tourism Assets:

Wildlife:

Western Lowland Gorillas, Common Chimpanzees, Forest Elephants, Forest Buffalo, Pangolins, & Red River Hogs.

Almost all of the forest birds found in Gabon can be found within Ivindo National Park.

~420 species of birds. Ipassa (within Ivindo) is designated an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.

Geographic Features:

Largely intact rainforest landscape, featuring a plethora of picturesque rivers, waterways, and rapids.

Three fantastic waterfalls: Kongou, Mingouli, & Djidji Falls - Nicknamed the ‘Wonders of Ivindo.’

Other notable features: Ipassa Makokou Biosphere Reserve falls within Ivindo’s boundaries, Langoué Baï is considered one of the 5 most important forest clearings in Central Africa, and the Ivindo River’s riverbanks are picturesque.

Ground Accessibility

Domestic Air Accessibility

*Security

(ex. violence, human threats, etc.)

Safety

(ex. illness & health, animal attacks, etc.)

Skills & Capacities of the Domestic Workforce

Average Traveler Experience (with prior visits to Central Africa)

Average Traveler Experience (with no prior visits to Central Africa)

Current Level of Tourism Development

Potential for Tourism Development

Additional Insights from Survey:

There is some tentative interest from tourism investors in tourism in Ivindo National Park.

When accessing the park via boat, there are over a dozen rapids to navigate, making it a quite dangerous route.

Two words used to describe the park are ‘Unique’ & ‘Captivating.’

Tourism circuit opportunities & site linkages, as suggested by expert stakeholders:

Lope, Loango, and Pongara National Parks Mwagna National Park

Key Takeaways:

Ground accessibility, security, and skills of the local workforce rank the same as the regional average.

Current level and potential for tourism development both fall below the regional average, signaling that this might be a Gabonese park to focus on in the medium-term.

Domestic air accessibility falls above the regional average, signaling potential for fly-in, fly-out tourism in the shorter-term.

Responses collected via Qualtrics surveys, from October 2023 - March 2024

Stakeholders with firsthand knowledge of the park were asked to rank different aspects of tourism in and around the landscape.

Ranking is based on a 1-10 scale:

‘1’ represents relative weakness in the field and ‘10’ represents strength in the field.

Ivindo National Park, Gabon Destination Scorecard:

*For additional information on security, see site analysis below.

Ivindo National Park Tourism Assessment Survey Results

Site Analysis:

Ivindo National Park (INP) is located in Northeast-Central Gabon near the equator, with a core area of nearly 300,000 hectares, encircled by an 180,000-hectare buffer zone [1]. The park extends north to include the Ipassa Makokou Biosphere Reserve, which constitutes 15,000 Hectares within the larger INP [2]. The lands are totally uninhabited and approximately 90% remain as intact old-growth forest [3]. Recognized by UNESCO for its unparalleled integrity, biodiversity, and conservation significance, it stands as a prime example of Gabon's preserved natural heritage. INP is part of the Trinational Dja-Odzala-Minkébé (TRIDOM) landscape, a biodiversity stronghold spanning the Republic of Congo, Cameroon, and Gabon, safeguarding 10% of the Congo Basin Rainforest [4].

This largely intact forest landscape compromises old-growth rainforests and wetlands, crisscrossed by pristine river networks. The Ivindo and Djidji wetlands form iconic waterfalls and rapids within the park. Nicknamed, ‘the Wonders of Ivindo,’ the three main waterfalls are the Kongou, Mingouli, and Djidji falls. In the southern sector of the park there is another iconic natural feature, the Langoué Bai, a marshy forest clearing where wildlife come in vast numbers to feed, drink, and socialize.

At the bai, most of Central Africa’s key species can be found; forest elephants, gorillas, forest buffalo, and red river hogs. During peak seasons, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has recorded up to 90 elephants visiting the bai per day [5]. INP is also quoted as being “one of Africa’s best locations for forest birding’ [6], especially in the northern Ipassa Reserve, where all but eleven of Gabon’s over 659 bird species can be found in one place [7].

While INP is not subject to any specific travel advisories, the U.S. Department of State has issued a ‘Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution’ travel advisory for Gabon as a whole (a similar level to France and the UK) [8]. In and around INP, there are very low risks of crime or other security threats. Though it is not considered as remote as other Central African parks, its location within the country’s geographic interior shields it from some of the recent civil unrest which affect Gabon’s major cities. A stakeholder from the park stated that there are “no dangerous areas” in and around the park which would affect tourism development.

Overview

[1]https://carpe.umd.edu/sites/default/files/publications/4010001_MP_SD_IvindoNP_ManagementPlan_Strategy_2008.pdf [2] https://en.unesco.org/biosphere/africa/ipassa-makokou [3] https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1653/ [4] https://pfbc-cbfp.org/news-partner/landscape-financelab.html [5]https://programs.wcs.org/langouebai/ [6]Gabon Vision, 2007 [7]https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/ipassa-strict-nature-reserve-iba-gabon [8]https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/gabon-travel-advisory.html https://carpe.umd.edu/sites/default/files/publications/4010001_MP_SD_IvindoNP_ManagementPlan_Strategy_2008.pdf https://en.unesco.org/biosphere/africa/ipassa-makokou https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1653/ https://pfbc-cbfp.org/news-partner/landscape-financelab.html https://programs.wcs.org/langouebai/ https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/ipassa-strict-nature-reserve-iba-gabon https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/gabon-travel-advisory.html

The Gabonese National Agency for National Parks (ANPN) is the agency charged with oversight and management of all the protected areas in Gabon. As the ultimate manager of the park, ANPN is responsible for all tourism activities, unless otherwise ceded to a tourism concessionaire, which is not currently the case in INP. Although Ivindo is not mentioned as one of the parks of focus in the short-term in the National Tourism Strategy (2020-2025), its potential for tourism development is recognized in the medium-term.

The International Foundation for Gabon Ecotourism (FIGET) is active in Ivindo. One of the NGO’s primary goals is to “Promote environmentally friendly ecotourism, guaranteeing local populations satisfactory income, without destroying their natural capital.” [9] FIGET has received support for the development of viewing platforms, equipment, trail development and community engagement in the past, however it is unclear what the organization is currently doing in INP. They may be a partner for future tourism development in the landscape.

The remarkable natural assets of Ivindo NP offer significant potential for nature-based tourism development. Langoué Bai, the fifth largest clearing in equatorial Africa [10], provides exceptional wildlife viewing of Central Africa's iconic species, a major draw for potential travelers. With a well-constructed viewing platform capable of accommodating overnight tents, visitors can experience the thrill of falling asleep to the sounds of the jungle while safely above the forest floor [11]. Facilitating tourism experiences at Ivindo, particularly overnight stays at the bai when elephants are more active, presents a compelling opportunity for travelers seeking immersive wildlife encounters.

The water features in Ivindo NP present a powerful draw for adventurous global travelers.

Including the iconic Kongou Falls, known as "Gabon's answer to Niagara,." [12] These features are largely unmatched across Central Africa, giving INP a unique competitive advantage in potential nature-based tourism offerings. Opportunities exist for the redevelopment of former campsites near the falls, like the Kongou Forest Camp which was once operated by Luxury Green Resorts in collaboration with Gabon Wildlife Camps & Safaris.

Unlike many other parks in the Congo Basin, Langoué Bai and Kongou Falls are listed attractions on LonelyPlanet and appear to have greater market awareness than their peers in the region. In addition to access by charter flights or road (~12 hours), the Trans-Gabon Railway connects Libreville with Booué Station about 50 km from the park in about 7 hours. The train is an affordable way to connect to the park and is scheduled to travel daily, although this is not guaranteed and the service has mixed traveler reviews. The train presents an opportunity to attract a new market of middle-income adventure travelers, broadening the park's appeal beyond the luxury segment typically targeted by other parks.

Nature-Based Tourism Development Opportunities

Ivindo National Park, Gabon

[9]https://www.programmeppi.org/beneficiaire/figet-fondation-internationale-gabon-ecotourisme/ [10]https://gabonwildlifecamps.com/gabon-parks-camps/ivindo-national-park/ [11] https://www.steppestravel.com/accommodation/langoue-bai-platform/ [12]https://www.lonelyplanet.com/gabon/eastern-gabon/ivindo-national-park/attractions/kongou-falls/a/poi-sig/1559036/355304 https://www.programmeppi.org/beneficiaire/figet-fondation-internationale-gabon-ecotourisme/ https://gabonwildlifecamps.com/gabon-parks-camps/ivindo-national-park/ https://www.steppestravel.com/accommodation/langoue-bai-platform/ https://www.lonelyplanet.com/gabon/eastern-gabon/ivindo-national-park/attractions/kongou-falls/a/poi-sig/1559036/355304

Accommodations Currently, the accommodation and touristic infrastructure in INP are extremely basic, requiring prioritization for tourism development. Apart from basic options like camping at the Langoué Bai observation platform or bunking at the Ipassa Research Station, there are little-to-no other choices for travelers visiting Ivindo. Increased investment in accommodation and related infrastructure is crucial for competitiveness and success in the market. Potential investments include revitalizing the former Kongou Forest Camp, enhancing the Langoué Bai platform experience, establishing new campsites near key natural features, developing safari-style luxury tented camps, or constructing an eco-lodge near Park HQ.

Tourist Services & Activities While INP boasts magnificent natural features, its associated touristic activities are currently limited. Moreover, the park's main attractions, Langoué Bai and Kongou Falls, are located far apart, necessitating significant tourism planning to better integrate these experiences. Beyond mere observation, there is a need to develop additional activities that capitalize on these features. Birding tours could become a key attraction in the northern sector, particularly within the Ipassa Biosphere Reserve. Safari drives and boat rides also present promising opportunities.

However, until more activities are introduced or existing ones revitalized, this limitation (along with the availability of accommodations) will continue to hinder the park's tourism development and growth potential.

Air Accessibility Traveling to INP by road or train are both feasible, but take time and can be unreliable;

requiring built-in flexibility in travelers itineraries. This is often possible for the low and mid-budget travelers, but not attractive for the higher-end of the travel market. To attract the higher-spending market, air accessibility is the most viable option. Presently, Makokou Domestic Airport accommodates private charter flights, requiring an additional three hours by pirogue to reach Ivindo and its attractions. Although multiple sites within INP are suitable for airstrip development, there are currently no plans in this regard. As noted by a park stakeholder, ‘for as long as there are no reasonable aviation solutions [in Ivindo], there’s no way to sustainably invest in tourism here.’ If higher-end accommodation is to be developed, this would likely have to be in tandem with the development of an airstrip.

Political Environment To leverage the opportunity for tourism within the park, investment is needed in tourism facilities and services. The recent political changes at the national level may give pause to potential investors (especially international high-value ecotourism brands) due to uncertainty about the future. This is discussed in more details in the country level analysis of Gabon.

Enabling Environment Constraints

Once the plan is complete, develop investment briefs and tendering documents to attract potential tourism investors to the park as well as actions that directly promotes the park to investors, engages with potential investors to initiate their interest and fosters that interest to the point where they are ready to tender for tourism investment in the park

Recommendations & Considerations

Conduct specific assessments of the birding and sport fishing potential of the park and landscape and engage with specialist operators in these areas to define what they look for in a destination and generate interest in the park

**Development of a tourism master plan for the park that lays out actions to be taken to energize tourism in and around the park. This would include sites and strategy around accommodations, activities/experiences for visitors, market profiles, capacity needs for staff and communities, tourism management frameworks and standard operating procedures to effectively manage tourism development. This document would help to set the groundwork to attract greater interest in tourism at the park from the national government (e.g. provide actions that would feed into the national tourism strategy when it is next updated), donors and private investors.

Lower Cost & Short-Term Actions:

**Critical Enabler

Study tours for park staff to understand how other protected areas in the county or elsewhere have gone about their planning and development efforts as well as how they manage their tourism

Establish visual and written content that can be used to promote the landscape and its tourism attractions.

Recommendations & Considerations

Leveraging the tourism plan, engage donors and other potential supporters in a 4-5 year program to establish the foundation for tourism in and around the park, including investment in base infrastructure, such as access roads, boats, airstrip, trails, signage, viewing platforms and camping sites. On the management side, training will be needed for park staff to plan and manage tourism activities as well as guides (ideally in partnership with local communities).

This program would also identify and structure partnerships with potential tourism operators who could be attracted to invest in the site (see previous complimentary recommendation).

**Establish a challenge grant program, accompanied by technical assistance, to incentivize investment in accommodations in the park. The focus would be on upgrading existing sites and/or new sites/activities. The technical assistance would include help with market analysis and planning for upgrades/development of accommodation sites as well as attractions/activities.

As private investment funds are scarce and hard to attract, the grants would help to ‘buy down’ the risk for investors. International investors would be a target, but also long-term expat residents and higher-net-worth Gabonese could also be a focus. With this more local segment, rather than seeking one large investor, fractional ownership models may be appropriate, especially if circuits with other parks are being developed. Investors would be able to buy into a portion of the company in exchange for an allocated number of nights per year at the facility, as well as potential investment returns from their investment. This way each investment is more manageable for investors, there are benefits beyond investment returns (a holiday retreat), risk is more diversified and the investors themselves can act as ambassadors to promote the facility with their networks. Corporate investment (such as oil companies) at this scale may also be possible, where they can provide ‘incentive’ trips for their employees through their ownership in the lodging facility.

**Critical Enabler

Develop a brand and marketing/storytelling campaign to position the park on the Gabon tourism circuit. Through this program, help to raise awareness of the park as a tourism destination with local tour operators and travelers as well as with international tour operators.

Higher Cost & Medium-Term Actions:

Lopé National Park, Gabon

Quick Facts:

494,200 Hectares Mixed monsoon rainforest & open savannahs IUCN Category - Not Reported UNESCO Mixed Natural Heritage Site* Park Entry Fee: Unknown Mandrills, gorilla and other primates

Seasonality:

May-September February-May

Accessibility:

Int’l Air

Léon-Mba International Airport (Libreville) 20 km drive to Owendo Train Station

Most itineraries recommend travelers stay a night in Libreville before either taking the train or a charter flight to the park.

Domestic Air

Within park: Small grass airstrip near Lopé Hotel

Requires maintenance, could land helicopters potentially.

Miele Mimbale Airstrip:

~20 km from the park’s northern border.

Operationality is unknown.

Ground

Trans Gabon Railway Daily access to the park, 3 seat class types available

On train:

Owendo Port Station

(in Libreville) to Lope Station:

~6 hours

From train station:

~20-minute walk to Lope Hotel.

Making this walk at night is discouraged, with travelers opting to schedule a pick-up instead.

Some travelers have reported that driving from Libreville to Lopé is possible along very bad roads, but it is long (~8-10 hours) and far less comfortable than the train.

Within Park

Internal gravel road and tourism tracks throughout.

Travelers have mentioned that there is a park-owned car which can be leased out.

Site Destination Maturity

Relative to the Congo Basin Market

Accommodations & Facilities

Gabon Wildlife Camps & Safaris used to operate ‘Moabi Tented

Camp’ in Lopé, however, it appears that this is no longer operational and GWCS is no longer present in Lopé.

As of January 2024, the website which mentions this camp’s existence is outdated and does not reflect the realities of available accommodations in the park.

Screenshot from ProtectedPlanet.net

Transportation Infrastructure

Park Headquarters

Availability of

Accommodations

Accommodation

Product Variation

Visitor…