7. Ecotourism Assessment_Republic of Congo.pdf

Republic of Congo

Congo Basin Nature-Based Tourism Assessment

Country Snapshot Pages 1-2

Country Analysis & Recommendations

Pages 3-12

Five Priority Site Packets Page 13

Destination Snapshot Key Page 14

Odzala-Kokoua National Park Site Snapshot, Site Scorecard, Site Analysis, & Recommendations Pages 15-21

Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park Site Snapshot, Site Scorecard, Site Analysis, & Recommendations Pages 22-31

Ntokou-Pikounda National Park Site Snapshot, Site Scorecard, Site Analysis, & Recommendations Pages 32-37

Tchimpounga Nature Reserve Site Snapshot, Site Scorecard, Site Analysis, & Recommendations Pages 38-43

Conkouati-Douli National Park Site Snapshot, Site Scorecard, Site Analysis, & Recommendations Pages 44-52

USAID FABS

Congo Basin Nature-Based Tourism Assessment

Table of Contents

E-Visa:

No.

Tourist Visa Cost:

US Citizens: $200 short stay visa (<180 days) UK Citizens: $140 short stay visa (<15 days)

$200 short stay visa (<30 days) EU Citizens: $60 short stay visa (<15 days)

$240 short stay visa (<3 months)

Supplementary Requirements:

Letter of invitation Booked return flight (with proof) Booked accommodation (with proof)

(These extra steps increase the burden on visitors and hosts)

Nuances of the visa process:

Visa applications are estimated to take approximately 15 working days and require the passport at the Embassy during processing.

Tourism Visa Information

The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report, 2019

World Economic Forum

The Republic of Congo was not included in this report due to insufficient data.

In partnership with the UNWTO and UNDP, the Congolese government has adopted a Sustainable

Tourism Development Strategy and Master Plan (2015).

Strategic & specific goals under the tourism pillar include:

Improvement & diversification of the tourism offer Construction & development of access roads to touristic sites Construction & equipment of tourism & leisure infrastructures Developing tourism sites (especially within protected areas) Improvement of the governance and regulation of the tourism sector

National Tourism Strategies & Policy

Additionally, the tourism industry is recognized as a vital sector within the RoC’s most recent National

Development Plan (2022-2026), developed in partnership with the International Monetary Fund.

(Pictured below)

National Tourism Associations

None Found

The UNWTO Tourism Dashboard & WTTC’s ROC Country Report

Estimated Travel & Tourism Jobs:

60,400, 3.6% of country total (2019)

63,400, 3.6% of country total (2022)

GDP Contribution:

$460M USD/2.8% (2019)

$441M USD/2.9% (2022)

Inbound Arrivals:

160,000 (2018)

High: 340,000 (2013), Low: 150,000 (2017)

International Visitor Spending:

$43.9M USD (2019), $42.0M USD (2022)

Domestic Visitor Spending:

$310M USD (2019), $272M USD (2022)

Top Source Markets (2022):

DRC (#1), France, Cameroon, Angola, Italy

Destination Snapshot:

Republic of CongoTarget Country

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

Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park

4.5/5 stars 5 Reviews

Odzala-Kokoua National Park

No ratings or reviews

TripAdvisor

321 properties listed, low volume 2,071 hotel reviews

Product variation:

Budget: 6, MidRange: 18, Luxury: 8

37 ‘Things to Do’ listed 8 tours linked for booking

Online Presence

Lonely Planet

18 ‘Must-See Sights’ No linked activites for booking

3 National Parks listed:

Odzala, Nouabale-Ndoki, Conkouati-Douli

National Tourism Website:

‘République du Congo’

Site has a good design but is not easy to find (google). The site is focused on investment and what not to do in the country than attracting visitors.

Overall Score: 33% Regional Average: 35% https://republic-congo.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: ‘République du Congo’

Information gathered from: Republic of Congo’s National Development Plan (2022-2026), Republic of Congo tourism site, 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:

Republic of CongoTarget Country

Major International Hubs

Brazzaville Maya-Maya Airport (BZV) Located in: Brazzaville, ROC’s capital city

Flight Volume: 8 direct destinations

Agostinho-Neto International Airport (PNR) Located in: Pointe-Noire, ROC’s second largest city & oil industry hub

Flight volume: 6 direct destinations

Non-major routes:

Kigali, Rwanda Douala, Cameroon Libreville, Gabon Kinshasa, DRC

Major routes:

Paris, France Casablanca, Morocco Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Major routes:

Paris, France Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire Luanda, Angola Istanbul, Turkey

Non-major routes:

Libreville, Gabon Port-Gentil, Gabon Cotonou, Benin

The Republic of Congo (RoC) has 34 protected areas covering 126,472km2. 36.79% of the country’s landmass is designated as protected according to Protected Planet, the largest proportion of any country in the region. Most of the RoC is densely forested (70%), but more open ecosystems can also be found as well as 170 km of coastline. Although they have abundant natural assets with tourism potential, they rank lower than their peer countries for overall biodiversity (#40 in the world), number of bird species (#52 in the world) and #58 in the world for overall biodiversity and habitat protection measures.

According to limited publicly available data, RoC has received an average of 195,000 international arrivals per year over the 5-year period prior to 2018 (most recent data), a relatively small number compared to regional peers. The number of arrivals shows a decreasing trend from a peak of 345,000 in 2013 to 158,000 in 2018.

Part of this may be due to the overly burdensome visa process (described by a number of stakeholders as ‘a nightmare’) as well as poor recognition in international markets as a tourism destination. Despite the low numbers, tourism contributes almost 3% to the country's GDP, with clear potential for a more significant impact. A 2023 Ecotourism Management Plan for Conkouati-Douli National Park that also looked at the border national context, projected that if the tourism sector can be grown two-fold in the medium-term, this would add US $400 million to national GDP, support 60,000 jobs and generate USD 150 million in direct visitor spending a year. Tourism can also play a role in diversifying the country’s economy from a reliance on the oil and gas sector.

Overview

Country Analysis:

The country’s biodiversity faces significant threats, including deforestation, illegal wildlife trade and mining. Protection of RoC’s natural landscapes is critical, but they also need to be economically sustainable over the long-term and tourism can play a role in this goal.

Nature-based tourism is limited in the RoC, with the current market consisting of a small number of expat and domestic travelers, some regional travelers, the ‘mega-adventurer,’ who are well traveled in other African countries and looking for a more ‘off the beaten path’ destination as well as higher-end wildlife watchers looking for the same ‘off the beaten path’ experience. For the latter, a shining model for the region is Kamba African Rainforest Experiences that has created a network of lodges in Odzala-Kokoua National Park and is expanding to Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park. Part of the success of Kamba is that they can offer a fully integrated circuit for visitors and manage all logistics from arrival to departure.

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

Odzala-Kokoua National Park Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park Ntokou-Pikounda National Park Tchimpounga Nature Reserve (as well as the better known Lésio-Louna Reserve) Conkouati-Douli National Park

Nature-Based Tourism

Country Analysis:

Infrastructure, Access, & Services There are two main international airports for the country, Maya-Maya Airport (Brazzaville) with connections to eight international destinations and Pointe-Noire Airport (Republic of Congo’s second city),with connections to six international destinations. Collectively eleven international airlines fly to/from eleven countries to RoC (some fly to both airports). Oyo- Ollombo Airport, which is closer to Odzala-Kokoua, Nouabalé-Ndoki and Ntokou-Pikounda parks than the other airports, is also reportedly approved for international flights, yet none currently fly to this airport. It is understood that at least one other airport, in Ouesso, also meets the grade for international flights but is not classified as such. The airlift to RoC is less than most of its peers (except for Central African Republic), however it does have two daily connections with Paris that provides onward connections. The cost of flights to RoC is average in comparison to regional peers.

Airline safety is an important factor for tour operators. All commercial domestic airlines are currently blacklisted in the EU, therefore it is unlikely that major international tour operators would utilize domestic commercial flights unless their safety standards are improved. The standard of infrastructure to support domestic aviation is also patchy. While there are around 20 small airstrips in the country, some are currently inoperable or can only be used seasonally.

Charter flights are available, although costly and are utilized by operators such as Kamba Africa.

The road network in the Republic of Congo may be the most well-developed in the region [1].

The RoC has higher road density than some of its neighbours, with 55.5 km of roads for every 100km2 of land area in the country, which is more than three times the road network of the nearest regional peer (Cameroon). Most of this can be attributed to government and private investment in infrastructure development, including timber extraction being heavily dependent on good road infrastructure to the port at Pointe Noire.There are two main roads in the country, the RN1 linking Brazzaville with Pointe-Noire and the RN2 linking Brazzaville to Ouesso. This main arterial RN2 road (running north-south) through Republic of Congo is paved and in good condition. Although journey times are long, it provides a relatively safe and reliable main route towards several nature tourism destinations and areas with nature tourism potential in the north of the country. Although RoC has relatively better road networks than others in the region, once travelers get off these major arteries, roads can still be a challenge to access parks and other rural areas.

Enabling Environment

{1} https://dlca.logcluster.org/

Country Analysis:

Republic of Congo https://dlca.logcluster.org/

Visa Access and Entry Requirements Visitors to ROC must obtain a visa in advance of travel. More and more countries are now introducing visa exemptions (e.g. Saudi Arabia), visas on arrival (e.g. Nepal) or e-visas (e.g.

Cameroon) in an attempt to reduce bureaucratic hurdles for travelers, however RoC lags behind on this trend.

The types of documentation required and bureaucratic steps that need to be completed mean it is virtually impossible for a traveller to obtain a visa without in-country support. At OKNP for example, Kamba Africa is heavily involved in the visa process. In addition to the traveller’s passport details, a visa application from foreign nationals must include:

A Letter of Invitation from the immigration administration in Congo.

A Certificat d’Hébergement obtained from a town hall, at a cost of XAF 12 000, or around USD 22 (at May 2021 rates).

A return flight booking issued to the traveller with the flight number and the date of arrival and departure from Congo.

Details of the individual’s occupation and the purpose of their visit.

Once obtained, an appointment must be made with the embassy to review the documents before leaving their passport in the embassy for the visa to be affixed. Processing times for visa applications can be lengthy. In the UK for example, the standard processing time for a visa application by the Congolese Embassy is 15 working days, with the option of expediting this to 7 working days. Frequent business travellers with one passport would struggle to leave passport or ID documents for this length of time. Moreover, because the visa process is typically the first experience a visitor has when interacting with the end destination, complex visa procedures can dissuade travelers altogether. Streamlining visa procedures could immediately enhance attitudes towards travel and open up a wider market of potential visitors.

Efforts have been made in recent years to simplify Congo’s visa process, including a World Bank supported Business Development and Competitiveness Support Project (Projet d’Appui au Développement des Entreprises et la Compétitivité (PADEC) which included work on an online visa entry system. It is not known what stage this work has gotten to.

Enabling Environment

Country Analysis:

Business Environment for Nature-Based Tourism Kamba Africa is likely to be the most advanced and sophisticated nature-tourism operator in Central Africa. Their work to establish a professional, reputable business provides useful insights into some of the opportunities to address barriers in the enabling environment and reduce the bureaucratic burden that would facilitate greater investment into the sector.

Challenges they and other tourism operators reported in relation to the business environment for nature-based tourism included:

Protracted process and lack of clarity on the steps to set up and register a tourism company in Congo, involving a series of meetings with different Ministries with the whole process taking up to two years.

Lack of dedicated tax treatment for nature tourism businesses (as exists in other sectors in Congo such as forestry, oil and gas and mining), despite operating in similar frontier and high-cost environments that have poor baseline infrastructure and difficult logistics requiring significant upfront investment;

Lengthy customs clearance times and no exemption on customs duties and VAT for imports of essential equipment for tourism businesses, as exists for agricultural, horticultural, forestry and fisheries equipment.

High levels of bureaucracy and lengthy wait times for sign-off on routine documentation, fundamental for the business to operate;

Lack of coordination in company audits and compliance checks by officials, and low levels of understanding among regional officials on the compliance requirements of tourism businesses, leading to tourists being held up multiple times on journeys;

The lack of any provision for force majeure events e.g. no Government concessions or tax relief during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Enabling Environment

{1} https://dlca.logcluster.org/

Country Analysis:

Republic of Congo https://dlca.logcluster.org/

Enablers In 2015, the Congolese Government published a Sustainable Tourism Development Strategy and Master Plan for the country, which sets out a roadmap for tourism development. However there have been limited advances towards implementing the strategy. A key component of the strategy is the stated need for the government to improve the institutional, legislative, and regulatory frameworks for tourism to succeed in the country.

The RoC scores extremely poorly on ‘ease of doing business,’ (180 / 190 countries) and similarly ranks poorly on measures such as ease of starting a business, etc. By comparison Uganda is ranked 116 and Rwanda is ranked 3. As with many of its regional peers, RoC is a hard place to do business, and until there is a more business-friendly environment it will be hard to attract significant inward investment into the sector. Key challenges cited include:

High operating costs, including permitting and employment Highly bureaucratic process for opening a business and ongoing compliance Limited investor protections (especially non-resident and minority investors) Understanding of tourism and capacity within supporting institutions as well as the general workforce

Small, niche high-end tourism models will likely be possible, such as Kamba African Rainforest Experiences and a limited number of other businesses/investors that are exploring potential investments, however broader tourism development will be extremely limited until the business operating environment is improved.

According to the U.S. Department of State’s “Investment Climate Statements 2022,” businesses regularly report obstacles linked to corruption, lack of transparency, subjective application of legal codes and inefficiency in matters such as registering businesses, obtaining land titles, paying taxes, and negotiating contracts as constraints for investors.

Despite the difficult business environment, ROC has most of the major conservation partners working to conserve biodiversity and support local communities around protected areas, including WCS (Nouabalé-Ndoki NP and Lac Télé NP), African Parks (Odzala-Kokoua NP), WWF (Ntokou-Pikounda NP), JGI (Tchimpounga Nature Reserve) and Noé (Conkouati-Douli NP). All have public-private partnership management or co-management agreements with the government for their respective parks. Several also work at a national level with the government. There are additional projects related to nature conservation and tourism development such as USAID/Tetra Tech supporting ecotourism management plans in Lésio- Louna Gorilla Reserve and Conkouati-Douli National Park.

As a country and in/around the target protected areas, security is in general not a major issue.

The US travel advisory for the country is level 2 (the same level as France and the UK).

However, as with its regional peers, RoC faces issues with its external image. The country is not well known or promoted within the international travel market and there is a general perception of insecurity. The country is often mixed up with DRC, which has a far less stable security situation. Any negative press or security issues relating to DRC have implications for RoC simply because of the similarity in their names. The country’s tourism brand is not well known or promoted to travelers, and the national tourism website is not easy to navigate with mixed messaging between promoting the country to investors and what not to do as a visitor, rather than focusing on attracting visitors to the country.

Enabling Environment

Country Analysis:

There are two logical clusters or circuits for the target protected areas that are a focus of this document, one northern cluster connecting and strengthening tourism in and around the TRIDOM landscape, including Odzala-Kokoua, Nouabalé-Ndoki and Ntokou-Pikounda National Parks as well as a southern cluster of protected areas along the Atlantic coast that include Tchimpounga Nature Reserve and Conkouati-Douli National Park.

As tourism and nature tourism is still in its very early stages in the RoC, the focus of short-term activities should be to build momentum, strengthen collaboration and demonstrate success, even if initially small in scale. This in turn makes a stronger, more tangible case for the government to focus on tourism and improved understanding of the sector, which then facilitates more significant actions in the medium-term.

Country Analysis:

Republic of Congo

Recommendations

As the Government’s tourism strategy & master plan was written in 2015, almost a decade ago, there is a need to review and update this document, understand what has been done, what still needs doing and what are the roadblocks to moving forward. The document can then be revised and realigned to today’s context and the next 5-10 years. This is also an opportunity for tourism stakeholders to convene, collaborate, discuss and plan out the priorities for the coming decade, through the auspices of the Tourism Working Group.

Support the government, private sector and civil society to establish a ‘Tourism Working Group,’ that includes representatives from relevant stakeholder groups. This group would help to guide the activities proposed below. One organization should be identified as the ‘facilitator’ and play this role for at least 3-years to organize meetings, coordinate among representatives and share information with the broader network of tourism stakeholders in the country.

Lower Cost & Short-Term Actions:

**Critical Enabler

A nature-based tourism economic impact study, possibly as a part of updating the current plan, could also be commissioned to make a stronger case for Government prioritization and investment in tourism. This study would assess and project the potential economic impact for the country based on difference scenarios for tourism development and package this information into easy to understand infographics to help encourage a more meaningful focus on the sector. A socialization and educational program should also be implemented to get this information in-front of relevant stakeholders, especially government officials.

Country Analysis:

Recommendations

In partnership with the Ministry of Tourism & Recreation, as well as in coordination with organizations such as the World Bank and USAID working in this space, conduct a tourism legislative, policy, regulatory review and action plan. This will include identifying which ministries have direct control of specific tourism related regulations and policies and the potential for change. Through stakeholder consultations (possibly linked to the planning activity) and the Tourism Working Group, specific legislative, policy & regulatory ‘pain points’ will be identified for prioritization. This will include immigration and the visa process. Through this process a better understanding of the priorities, needs and specific government bodies and/or government officials that have the power to make change will be identified along with a focus on where follow-on actions can be taken. The process will also engage with individual government officials to inform them about tourism and the needs of the sector to gauge interest in taking action.

To demonstrate quick results immediately after the strategy and master planning update activity described previously, launch:

A storytelling competition, for stakeholders to submit engaging stories about tourism and conservation experiences that people can have in the country. Winners would receive professional videos, photos and content development of their stories. A professional travel writer would be engaged to develop this content and then pitch these stories to media in RoC as well as internationally. The goal of this activity is to build awareness and catalyze stakeholders in the sector to work together on a project, building social capital for future activities.

Support to Government to update their tourism website with new content (from the stories above) as well as re-orientate the site to focus exclusively on attracting visitors (a separate site, or sub-site may be developed for investment purposes).

**Critical Enabler

Lower Cost & Short-Term Actions: (continued)

Recommendations

Higher Cost & Medium-Term Actions:

**As the regulatory and business operating environment is significantly burdensome, each business is forced to commit significant staff time and resources in understanding and managing the regulatory environment in which they operate. Changing these bureaucratic systems will take time and require the government's willingness to push them through. There is therefore a need for individuals or organizations based in RoC that can understand the systems as they relate to tourism and help other businesses navigate them.

This is a role for a ‘Tourism Business Coach/Facilitator,’ who can help investors navigate the systems, understand what’s needed and have a full understanding of the sector, rather than each business figuring that all out themselves each time. They would play a role of tourism business coach and ‘fractional-staffer,’ supporting and navigating the regulatory and operating environment for multiple businesses, rather than each one having to dedicate staff to this role.

A program could be established to competitively recruit and train local ‘Tourism Business Coach/Facilitators,’ and help them establish this as a support service for the sector. Experts would work with the tourism coaches to ensure they fully understand all tourism related taxes, regulations and requirements as well as who’s doing what and the tourism ‘universe’ of the country. They would be supported for a fixed period of time (3-4 years) to supply these services to current and potential investors in the sector to smooth the process by helping to facilitate all of the steps required for tourism investment and operations in the sector.

They would also have a role in making connections and building networks (as a facilitator) in the sector. This role would help reduce the number of ‘unknowns’ for investors and taking on responsibilities that distract investors from their primary objectives. Once established the ‘Tourism Business Coach/Facilitator,’ can also offer these services to future tourism business on a commercial basis after the initial funding is finished.

**Critical Enabler

Country Analysis:

Recommendations

**A Challenge grant and technical assistance program to attract private investment in tourism anchor sites (accommodations) in or around each target protected area. Building on the nature-based tourism plan and related short-term activities, prospectus documents would be developed for each site along with challenge grants to incentivise investors to the sites. The grant funds would be considered ‘on behalf of the local community’ and therefore the communities investment and ownership stake in the tourism facility. Investment and management agreements would be structured to ensure mutual benefits (financial and other) for the investor, community and protected area.

Building a critical mass of tourism experiences is also key to the success of tourism in a park.

Therefore a complementary program to the above would focus on development of a

‘critical mass’ of at least 5-8 tourism activities in each target location. This would include identification of the activities (possibly through the updated tourism master plan), tourism product development and training, small grants, marketing and sales materials, connection with sales channels (tour operators and local accommodations) and packaging to connect the activities. This should be implemented in partnership with the private sector, so tourism operators can help guide what they can sell and also learn best practices in developing tourism experiences in the future.

**Critical Enabler

Country Analysis:

Republic of Congo

Higher Cost & Medium-Term Actions: (continued)

The RoC needs to establish a stronger brand and image in the global tourism market and therefore there is a need for positive media coverage of the tourism and conservation actions in the country. A campaign to pitch media and influencers to travel within the country, experience the destinations and tell that story to their followers would help the tourism sector leverage that positive messaging to boost sales. If resources allow this could also be coupled with a campaign to connect targeted tour operators in source markets with the current tourism sector in the RoC to strengthen business-to-business networks and boost sales.

Republic of Congo: 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

Odzala-Kokoua National Park, ROC Destination Snapshot:

Accessibility:

Int’l Air

Maya-Maya Int’l Airport (Brazzaville):

Park managers and staff sometimes meet travelers at this airport to aid in the customs process and transfer logistics.

Domestic Air

The most common route into the park is via private charter flights to the airstrip in

Mboko.

Flight time is approx. 1 hour 45 minutes from Brazzaville.

‘AirTech’ is the private charter operator with flights to the park.

Ouésso Domestic Airport:

Both the airport & its access roads are in excellent condition. Has capacity of landing large aircrafts and the landing strip is “comparable to international airports.” Main use at present is for government visits, but has potential.

Ground

East Entrance (Imbalanga Camp):

Accessible via National Road (‘N2’).

South Entrance (Discovery Camps):

Accessible via Etoumbi road through Mbomo village.

Driving from Brazzaville to the park is possible.

The trip takes around ~12 hours over good roadways.

Within Park

There are paved roadways between the Discovery Camps, which guests are driven on.

Ngaga to Lango: 3 hours drive Ngaga to Mboko: 2.5 hours drive

Lango to Mboko: 30 minutes drive OR 2 hours walk

Screenshot from ProtectedPlanet.net

Quick Facts:

1,354,600 Hectares Preserved old-growth rainforests IUCN Category 2 - ‘National Park’ Odzala Forest Massif is a UNESCO Heritage Site Park Entry Fees:

Conservation fee paid by international visitors Community fee paid by all visitors

Gorilla Habituation: 3 Successful Groups

Seasonality:

Peak season for tourism: June - September March - May, September - November December - February, June - September

$35 USD: International $18 USD: Congolese Residents $20 USD: Regional $5 USD: Local Residents

Accommodations & Facilities

3 ‘Discovery Camps,’ luxury ecolodges operated by Kamba Africa/CCC in the southern region.

6 rooms each (36 beds total).

Imabalanga Camp is operated by African Parks in the eastern region.

Tented forest camp.

4 Safari bungalows with bathrooms (8 beds total).

Food is flown in twice a week. On-site chefs cook extremely high quality meals for guests at the Discovery

Camps.

Additionally, within the park, APN has built touristic infrastructure in some baïs for wildlife viewing as well as a various camping platforms.

Park headquarters is located within the park in Mboko, nicknamed by travelers as

‘the gates of Odzala.’

Site Destination Maturity

Relative to the Congo Basin Market

Transportation Infrastructure

Park Headquarters

Availability of

Accommodations

Accommodation Product

Variation

Visitor Activities

Activity Product Variation

None Basic Limited Diverse

Good

Onsite

Serviced

High

Openly Available

High

TripAdvisor Reviews

TripAdvisor Rating:

38 Total Reviews

“An African Rainforest success-story!”

“They are certainly some of the best camps that my wife and I have ever been in [...] when you are there you realize it is the staff that makes your experience one you will never forget.”

“Fantastic experience, wonderful luxury accommodations, excellent, really delicious interesting meals, great accommodations with large comfortable beds, lovely private bathrooms, friendly staff, expert guides and trekkers.”

“The daily schedule was well planned and travel between the camps was enjoyable and interesting.”

“Enchanting and immersive adventure. Incredibly knowledgeable guide, exceptional staff.”

“The food was such a highlight.”

Google Reviews Rating:

29 Total Reviews

TripAdvisor Reviews

“I’ve had the privilege of traveling extensively throughout Africa over the past 15 years [...] I count on one hand all the places that have really moved me, burrowed deep in my heart [...] Odzala tops them all.”

“The staff, camp managers, and team of guides in Odzala are truly brilliant.”

“It’s a pioneering adventure that leaves you feeling empowered and inspired each day.”

“[CCC] put a huge effort into working with the local community, training them and thereby making them proud to be hosts and show their part of the world.”

“It is unique, remote, magical, intense andbreathtakingly stunning.”

“Being able to experience this jungle in suchcomfort has been nothing short of a dreamcome true.”

“Everything was seamless from the minute Iarrived in Brazzaville.”

“I was a solo female traveler and felt completelysafe the entire time.”

“Three times is not enough. I’m thinking about afourth.”

“Odzala is AWESOME... but not for those new toAfrica.”

“The gorilla trekking was an incredibleexperience which will stay with us forever.”

TripAdvisor Reviews2019 - 2023

Human Capital

African Parks Network (APN):

Delegated Management

Agreement - focus on conservation & community-based enterprise projects.

Kamba Africa (formerly known as ‘CCC’):

8 ecotourism concessions within the park, with strong support from the Plattner

Foundation.

Concessions are of various sizes.

There is a strong, collaborative relationship between the park and its surrounding communities.

The 2022 Eco-team project employs over 20 youths from neighboring villages.

Most employees working in and around the ecotourism facilities come from local towns and villages.

Staff training sessions are held at Park HQ.

Information sourced from TripAdvisor (Nov. 2023), Google Reviews (Nov. 2023), Protected Planet, African Parks.org, Government Websites, Logistics Cluster.org, AfricaGeographic.com, Travel Bloggers, BirdLife International (2024), Independent Field Visits, and Stakeholder Interviews

Note: The park itself does not have its own dedicated TripAdvisor page.

These reviews instead are pulled from the ‘Kamba African Rainforest

Experiences Lodges‘ page.

Google Maps (2023) Odzala-Kokoua National Park.

Current & Potential Natural Tourism Assets:

Geographic Features:

Falls within the southern fringes of the Guinea-Congolese forest block.

Forest-savanna mosaic in the south & continuous semi-evergreen forest in the north. Small blocks of swamp-forests and wooded grasslands.

Rivers and Forest Bais -significant tourism assets.

Wildlife:

Stable & growing populations of Western Lowland Gorillas and Forest Elephants.

Bongos, Forest Buffalo, and Giant Forest Hogs and present.

~440 bird species, Designated an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.

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 formal interest from tourism investors and opportunities for expanded tourism in Odzala-Kokoua National Park.

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

Nouabale-Ndoki National Park Conkouati-Douli National Park Dzanga-Sangha Complex

Key Takeaways:

This park ranks higher than the Congo Basin average in every category, signifying great opportunities for this park to be a market leader with further marketing and investments.

The current and potential level of tourism development, relative to peers, is considered high in the park.

The average traveler experience for those having already traveled to Central Africa is considered very positive, signaling OKNP as a top destination for this market.

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.

Odzala-Kokoua National Park, ROC Destination Scorecard:

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

Odzala-Kokoua National Park Tourism Assessment Survey Results

Site Analysis:

Odzala-Kokoua National Park (OKNP) is situated in the northwest of the Republic of Congo (ROC) and shares its border with Gabon to the west. It is also close to Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park (NNNP) in RoC, and the broader Sangha Trinational (TNS) complex of parks. As the largest park in ROC, the park covers 1,354,600 hectares [1]. OKNP is part of the Trinational Dja- Odzala-Minkébé (TRIDOM) landscape, which comprises eleven national parks spanning ROC, Cameroon, and Gabon [2]. This landscape is a biodiversity and conservation hotspot, encompassing 10% of the entire Congo Basin Rainforest [3]. The Forest Massif of Odzala- Kokoua, primarily within OKNP boundaries, holds UNESCO recognition for its unique ecological assets, processes, and status as a critical refuge for Central African forest elephants [4].

OKNP boasts one of Africa's largest, intact primary rainforests, dotted with over 140 open forest clearings, known as 'bais,' which are vital for both tourism and wildlife conservation [5]. While the dense tropical rainforest predominates, savannahs lie to the south, alongside lower-lying riverine areas with swamp and gallery forests, and wooded grasslands [6]. The diverse landscape gradients contribute to the park's complexity, further enhancing its natural appeal and assets for tourism development.

As of 2022, OKNP's wildlife includes nearly 7,600 western lowland gorillas, marking it one of the largest populations in any national park. Additionally, there are close to 7,300 forest elephants, constituting approximately 7% of the global population [7]. Both populations are highlighted in African Park’s 2022 triennial park survey as stable and growing [8], underscoring the park's significance. OKNP also hosts roughly 440 bird species and other key animals such as bongos, forest buffalo, and giant forest hogs. The park's numerous bais serve as safe havens, as well as great viewing possibilities, for animals and visitors.

While OKNP isn't under any specific travel advisories, the U.S. Department of State has issued a ‘Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution’ travel advisory for the Republic of Congo overall [9]. For comparison, France and the UK are in the same category. African Parks maintains an extensive law enforcement operation in Odzala, with rangers receiving regular training and the risk of crime or security threats is extremely low. [9]

Overview

[1]https://www.africanparks.org/the-parks/odzala-kokoua

[2]https://origin-congo.wwf-sites.org/where_we_work/tridom___tri_national_dja_odzala_minkebe/

[3]https://pfbc-cbfp.org/news-partner/landscape-financelab.html

[4]https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/692/

[5]https://legacylandscapes.org/map/odzala-kokoua/

[6]https://davieslab.oeb.harvard.edu/odzala-kokoua-national-park-republic-congo

[7]https://legacylandscapes.org/2023/01/highlights-from-the-ground-2022

[8]https://www.africanparks.org/the-parks/odzala-kokoua

[9]https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/republic-of-the-congo-travel-advisory.html https://www.africanparks.org/the-parks/odzala-kokoua https://origin-congo.wwf-sites.org/where_we_work/tridom___tri_national_dja_odzala_minkebe/ https://pfbc-cbfp.org/news-partner/landscape-financelab.html https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/692/ https://legacylandscapes.org/map/odzala-kokoua/ https://davieslab.oeb.harvard.edu/odzala-kokoua-national-park-republic-congo https://legacylandscapes.org/2023/01/highlights-from-the-ground-2022 https://www.africanparks.org/the-parks/odzala-kokoua https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/republic-of-the-congo-travel-advisory.html

Odzala-Kokoua National Park falls under the management of the NGO African Parks (AP).

Since 2010, AP has operated under a 25-year delegated management agreement with the Republic of Congo's Ministry of Forest Economy, Sustainable Development, & Environment.

This model shares governance and oversight between partners, while on-the-ground management is fully entrusted to African Parks. [10] In 2020, the Congolese government reaffirmed the agreement and extended AP's responsibilities to include the nearby Lossi Gorilla Sanctuary. Consequently, AP's role was rebranded as the 'Odzala-Kokoua-Lossi Foundation.’

[11]

The U.S. Forest Service International Programs highlights that the enduring commitment of reputable NGO partners like AP in OKNP attracts private tourism investors, crucial for its development. Kamba Africa (formerly Congo Conservation Company) has the exclusive ecotourism concession in OKNP and has invested approximately $13 million in three luxury lodges, significantly boosting tourism from under 50 to over 1,600 bed nights annually. [12] Their offerings include gorilla tracking, guided bai walks, kayaking, and village visits. In addition to the Kamba Africa facilities, AP also has a lower cost lodge (Imbalanga Camp) on the eastern edge of the park and easily accessible from the main road.

This critical mass of tourism facilities can help to attract additional investment to the park and help to diversify the tourism markets traveling to the park. A significant opportunity also rests in the connection with Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park (NNNP) and longer-term, the broader Sangha Trinational (TNS) complex of parks. Kamba Africa are building lodges in NNNP and plan new itineraries in 2025/26 connecting the two parks. [13] Creating this circuit, and in doing so establishing a model for diversified tourism experiences in the whole region, provides a platform to attract additional investment and broader tourism markets in the future.

Arguably, the most crucial asset for nature-based tourism in OKNP is its wildlife, particularly the habituated gorilla groups. With three habituated groups, there is opportunity for greater visitation to the park centered on gorilla observation. Compared to Uganda and Rwanda, gorilla tracking fees are notably lower, offering a competitive edge (although for this market this may not be their primary consideration). Apart from gorillas, OKNP also boasts impressive populations of other wildlife, providing opportunity for expanded wildlife tours, overnight stays at bais, bird watching, and more.

Nature-Based Tourism Development Opportunities

Odzala-Kokoua National Park, ROC

[10]https://usfscentralafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Assessment-of-Protected-Area-Management-Partnerships-in-Central- Africa_USFS_2021.pdf

[11]https://www.africanparks.org/the-parks/odzala-kokoua

[12]https://kambaafrica.com/journeys/

[13]https://content.wetu.com/Resources//28943/kamba_lodges_factsheet.pdf https://usfscentralafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Assessment-of-Protected-Area-Management-Partnerships-in-Central-Africa_USFS_2021.pdf https://usfscentralafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Assessment-of-Protected-Area-Management-Partnerships-in-Central-Africa_USFS_2021.pdf https://www.africanparks.org/the-parks/odzala-kokoua https://kambaafrica.com/journeys/ https://content.wetu.com/Resources//28943/kamba_lodges_factsheet.pdf

Compared to many parks in the region, OKNP has two very strong partners, AP and Kamba Africa that have partnered with the government. Collectively this creates a strong foundational environment for tourism in the park, although challenges still exist at the national level relating to the broader tourism operating environment (see country level analysis for more information).

Marketing & Promotion

Marketing and promotion for OKNP, and nature tourism in Congo generally, face significant challenges due to poor understanding of the tourism offer within international tourism markets. More work is needed to promote the park, and by extension the country for tourism.

Kamba Africa has laid the groundwork for a successful ecotourism destination in Central Africa and is actively promoting the park internationally. While the current clientele mainly consists of luxury travelers from the United States and Europe, Kamba is expanding its outreach efforts to other markets. The planned expansion to Nouabale-Ndoki National Park also offers a unique opportunity to create an exclusive travel brand around Central Africa's lush rainforests, showcasing conservation successes and attracting investment from governments, NGOs, and the private sector to further develop nature tourism in the region.

Access, Accommodation & Services

For the current Kamba Africa market, access is costly but not a major constraint as the market predominantly flies into the park. For other markets that drive, the park is approximately a 12-hour drive, although the road is paved most of the way until one gets to the park. The time it takes to get to the park by road will necessitate a focus on tourism markets that are willing to make this effort and who will likely then want to stay in the region for some time. A diversity of tourism experiences is therefore critical to build the region into a destination.

A network of roads and trails is established in the park between the current accommodation facilities and key sites. The support facilities in the park including workshops, etc. are also significant compared to most peer parks in the region. With the presence of Kamba Africa camps and AP’s Imbalanga Camp, the park is relatively well off for accommodation, compared to many of its regional peers, but a more diverse suite of tourism activities and eventually more accommodations would help to build the region into a tourism destination.

Enabling Environment Constraints

Recommendations & Considerations

Odzala-Kokoua National Park, ROC

Lower Cost & Short-Term Actions:

**Critical Enabler

Leverage the tourism foundation that currently exists to explore opportunities for product diversification and further investment, including additional accommodation services

(targeting domestic and mid-market, educational travel, bird watchers, etc.) and tourism experiences/activities for visitors in the park. This would take the form of a tourism product development strategy that would include a focus on how these services support community benefit sharing and involvement.

**Co-op marketing & storytelling campaign with Kamba Africa and AP (with a possible additional partnership with WCS and NNNP). This would include a travel trade outreach program targeting international markets as well as domestic/regional travelers to inform, engage and excite them about the park.

This may initially include:

A joint marketing campaign strategy and content generation (image, video and written) to tell the story of the region and provide content to help promote the region.

Direct outreach and sales visits to target tour operators in key international markets to increase awareness and help these operators package and sell the destination.

Collaboration with RoC and regional tour operators to package trips for domestic and regional visitors (mainly to AP’s accommodation facility), as well as a social media campaign to inform potential visitors and promote packages.

Familiarization trips for target tour operators so that they can understand and sell the tourism experience.

Engage with an intrepid A-list celebrity or influencer to explore the region and highlight the travel experience to their network.

This should be tied to current conservation activities that the celebrity can get involved in for a more meaningful story (for example, the ‘Friend-a-Gorilla’ campaign with Hollywood celebrities that ran in Uganda in 2010, generating over $4 million in free media coverage or Katmai National Parks in Alaska where they have a funny ‘Fat Bear Week’ social media tournament, where instagram users can ‘vote’ for the fattest bear.

**Building on the marketing efforts described in the short-term recommendations, engage with tour operators and key stakeholders in OKNP and NNNP to define optimal itineraries and circuits between the two parks and logistics relating to this. This may include current plans as well as future opportunities for circuits. Continued marketing should then focus on promotion of these itineraries with tour operator partners. Through this process gaps and needs will be identified along with what is needed to address them (see next recommendation).

Higher Cost & Medium-Term Actions:

A challenge grant program could be established to address product development and investment needs in addition to addressing gaps and needs for the development of circuits between OKNP and NNNP. Where grant funds are used to attract private investors, grant funds should be provided as an equity stake in a tourism investment for local communities, although the private operator would maintain management control.

https://www.nps.gov/katm/learn/fat-bear-week.htm

Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, ROC

Accessibility:

Int’l Air Maya-Maya Int’l Airport (Brazzaville)

Domestic Air

Kabo Airstrip:

Approx. 30-45 minute journey from airstrip to the HQ in Bomassa.

2018: Major project to refurbish the airstrip and…