Business Tourism in Africa: The Case of Cameroon

Abstract

Existing debates on tourism development in Africa largely focus on the impacts and dynamics of leisure tourism. This study turns attention to neglected issues around business tourism with specific reference to Cameroon. It critically examines the nature of business tourism in the country focusing on Cameroon's two major cities, Douala and Yaounde. The analysis is based upon data drawn from a survey of business tourists staying in local hotels as well as semistructure interviews conducted with hotel managers/representatives. The results reveal a differentiated pattern of business tourism with representation by both domestic and international travelers and formal as well as informal sector business tourists. One distinctive element in the formal economy of business tourists is the group of "bushfallers," which are Cameroonian citizens living abroad but retaining business interests in the country.