A tourism consultant to the Beninese Government, Cléopatre Kougniazonde, says the country is harnessing its royal past and cultural legacy to transform tourism into a key engine of economic development and national healing.
Kougniazonde, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Tourism Anew Bénin, said this during an event on Sunday in Cotonou.
The event, a cocktail, is one of the activities of an ongoing two-day tour of the National Association of Tour Operators (NATOP) to the Republic of Benin.
Truthng reports that the tour is organised by NATOP and Consortium Tourism by Millions of Benin (CTMB) in collaboration with Azalai Hotel and Benin Royal Hotel.
According to Kougniazonde, the country has invested in historical restoration, community-based tourism and cultural infrastructure with the aim of repositioning itself as a major player in Africa’s tourism sector.
“The process is currently ongoing but I will say we are at the end of this process.
“The process is digging into our history and into our culture and building.
“We want to be one of the greatest nations in terms of sustainable economy.
“We want to go throughout who we are, our identity and what makes us unique,” she said.
She said central to Benin’s strategy was the revitalisation of its ancient kingdoms, particularly Dahomey, famed for its female military regiment known globally as the Amazons.
Citing films including The Woman King and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, she said these female warriors traced their roots to Agodjié, a historic town where the government is restoring royal palaces and constructing a new museum.
“These women led armies and shaped decisions centuries ago,” she said.
Kougniazonde said the Benin Republic’s new tourism model also included confronting its role in the transatlantic slave trade.
NAN reports that in the coastal town of Ouidah, once one of West Africa’s main slave ports, the government is reconstructing the last slave ship that departed before the abolition.
The Beninese history has it that of the 423 captives on board, only 43 men survived. No women or children were alive at the end of the journey.
Also, Dr Olanma Ojukwu, Co-founder of God’s Own Travel Agency (GOTA), said the Beninese Government was marketing the country by leveraging its culture and history.
Ojukwu said: “What we’re doing in Africa, especially West Africa, is to see how we can revive our culture and begin to make our traditional potential become glaring.
Citing an example, she said the Vodun Days event was a platform used to showcase the strength of the people, and also the skills and potential of the artists.
“That’s why the Benin Vodun days that used to be one day have been extended to almost a week event.
“When people hear Vodun days, they think it’s just to come and practice Vodun.
“What you see at the Vodun days is what used to happen, the strengths we had in Benin,” she said.
She said some of the destinations to visit in Benin include: The Sacred Forest; The Python Temple; and the slave trade route – The Point of Return – in the historical city of Ouidah; Ganvié, a village where everything is done on water; and Benin’s safari village at Pendjari.
Truthng reports that Ganvié, popularly known as the “Venice of Africa” because of its picturesque setting, is one of the largest lake villages in Africa.
