Tourist information sites on the web in Francophone West Africa: the particular case of Benin
Francis BALLE - Professor (université Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas)
Jean-Marie COTTERET - Professor (université Paris 1)
Bernard VALADE - Professor (université Paris 5)
Derek EL ZEIN - Associate Professor & Lawyer (université Paris 5)
Artan FUGA - Professor (université de Tirana)
For nearly two decades now, African countries have been experimenting with information technology and communication. This entry into the information society is seen by many researchers as an opportunity to develop Africa. But, for now, socio-economic difficulties are hindering policies and actions conducted to use information systems for development purposes.
The situation varies from one country to another. South Africa and Morocco, for example, have been clearly more successful than countries south of the Sahara in their tourism industrialization policies, putting information technology to good use. Benin is one of the first countries in French-speaking West Africa to be connected to the Internet. It is, however, struggling to get more of a foothold into the digital age. The defective and lacking telecommunications infrastructure, the lack of a coherent legal and regulatory framework, people's inability to access computer equipment and services, the lack of local experts ... are all reasons for the delay. Internet could be a catalyst to promote culture and tourism in Benin and is one of the country's development challenges today. Tourism is in fact the second largest source of income and contributes to 2% of Benin's GDP
This study is an inventory of Benin's tourism industry and its presence on the Web. It focuses in particular on the best way to turn the country's countless attractions into real assets.
This work is made up of two sections.
The first provides an overview of the situation of tourism in the world and in Africa. It develops the topic and the issues of ICTs, seen as a springboard for development in Africa.
The second part focuses on Benin. It provides descriptions and an analysis of the country, using as a starting point its general data to assess its tourism policy, its results and its outlook for growth, mainly through Internet. The methodological basis of this research includes a literature review, observations, field surveys and Web mapping.