Overview
The Republic of the Congo boasts some of the last true pristine wilderness areas on the planet. The lush Congo Basin rainforest supports forest elephants and lowland gorillas in quantities not found anywhere else in the world. Remoteness, a bureaucratic and inefficient visa regime, infrastructure and transportation difficulties, cost, and corruption have thwarted significant inroads in the tourism sector. As the country continues to develop, ecotourism will likely become increasingly viable.
Travel and Tourism Market Size
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 estimated | |
| Total Local Production | 1,250,000 | 921,000 | 913,000 | 884,00 |
| Total Exports | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Total Imports | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Imports from the US | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Total Market Size | 1,250,000 | 921,000 | 913,000 | 884,000 |
| Exchange Rates |
(Total market size = (total local production + imports) - exports)
Units: Number of visitors and tourists
Source: Ministry of Tourisms
Leading Sub-Sectors
Transportation and guide services to access existing park resources.
Opportunities
Lodging and guide services near national parks are likely to receive strong support from the Congolese government. A variety of lodges in Congolese national parks provide a glimpse of what is possible at the low, medium, and high-end tourism market.
In 2020, USAID’s Central African Regional Program for the Environment (CARPE) became active in the ecotourism sector as a tool to conserve the Congo River Basin environment. It works through partners to promote sustainable livelihoods (such as tourism) to protect environmental resources.
Resources
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Congo
Odzala Wilderness Camps