Incoming Tourism Statistics of Benin year 1995 – 2015

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Tourism Statistics of Benin

Benin is a West African country that consists of narrow wedge settings extending northward for about for approximately 400miles from the Gulf of Guinea. It has a record 75 mile coastline bordering the Atlantic Ocean to River Niger, which forms its border with Niger.

The tourism industry in Benin is still on the verge of exploiting its full and maximum potentials. This, however, doesn’t rule it out of the most beautiful tourist attraction countries in the continent. Tourists who find their way to West Africa will find Benin an interesting stop. It harbors a lot of natural and historic treasures. Before it was Benin, it used to be called Dahomey kingdom, which was the one of the greatest in Africa back then. To date, traces of this great kingdom remain and are still evident in the ruins of Abomey. This is a major tourist attraction site. The museums in Ouidah preserve the histories of Benin’s African- Brazilian connection.

Benin is endowed with a fantastic natural environment blessed with both wildlife and rainforests since it is a tropical region. Its climatic patterns are also very favorable for visits especially towards the end of the year and at the beginning of the year; the dry seasons. November to February is the best time to visit the country when the temperature is moderate and minimal humidity. Apart from the variety of minimal beaches and lagoons, it boasts of waterfalls, hills and gush grasslands.

Being a former French colony, Benin had a record 7.5% of total visitors of 2015 coming from France. The other leading foreign markets are 12.2% Nigeria and 6.2% Togo. The country had a record of 25000 visitors in 2015, the highest ever recorded in the country with 2002 recording the lowest turnout of 72000 tourist visits.

In summary, this is how Benin has been doing in terms of tourist arrivals in the past decade since 1995

Year – Value
1995 – 138.000
1996 – 143.000
1997 – 148.000
1998 – 152.000
1999 – 80.000
2000 – 96.000
2001 – 88.000
2002 – 72.000
2003 – 175.000
2004 – 174.000
2005 – 176.000
2006 – 180.000
2007 – 186.000
2008 – 188.000
2009 – 190.000
2010 – 199.000
2011 – 209.000
2012 – 220.000
2013 – 231.000
2014 – 242.000
2015 – 255.000

Of the most frequented sites during the visits, the following areas top the lists.

  • Ouidah- this places exhibits a mix of influence from the French and the Portuguese due to various events in history. Those tourists who are interested in African history, this is the place to be.
  • Porto Novo- this is the capital city and the former French capital of Dahomey.
  • Abomey- the main attraction in this region is the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Abomey Royal Palaces.
  • Grand-Popo- it holds the history of the ancient slave trade
  • Natitingou- it has its own museum which is based in a French colonel and documents the lifestyle of the Somba people.

TourismProf.Club Author Team