DR. Congo tourism sector decline
Yes, Democratic Republic of Congo is endowed with a variety of tourist attractions likes wild life, amazing relief, culture, Historical features and drainage among others. The listed shows that the country is wealthy in terms of attraction by the number of visitors is declining.
But why?
There are a number of factors that account for the decline of the number of tourists in D.R.C. Insecurity is among the factors for the decline- for many year the country has been battling with different rebel groups like The M23 rebel group. The March 23 Movement – M23 in short – was formed in April 2012. The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) Maï Maï militias. The Lord's Rebel Army (LRA) The Patriotic Forces for the Liberation of Congo among others. Insecurity in DR. Congo is the major threatening factor to the tourists for fear of losing their lives.
Politic riots or uprisings in DR. Cong is another threatening factor to the tourists. The unrest which is spear political groups opposing the acts current government. During the uprisings, tear gas, stones, bullets are seen on the streets of the major cities of Goma, Kinshasa, Kisangani and Lubumbashi among others.
Some animals and birds are endangered so, their existence is always unpredictable. As bullets and tea gas is released, some animals disappears by migrating to nearby peaceful countries like Uganda and Rwanda while others are killed. The such cases, the country loses some of her major tourist attractions leading to the decline of the number of tourists.
Mountain and low land Gorillas are the major tourist attraction in Democratic Republic of Congo but no serious care has been given to them due to unrest . The gorilla doctors fear to risk staying the park to take care of the Gorillas, some ranger guides quit their jobs for fear of death or abduction.
Limited number of tour operators in DR. Congo also account for the declining number of tourists. Some operators vacated the country to seek for greener pastures else where.
The presence of other economic activities in DR. Congo forces some people to engage in other activities like mining, Agriculture and forestry among others. Some people see tourism unprofitable thus resorting to other activities.