For some years now, the majority of the West African countries have not been on the journalists’ priority list of stories to write about, unless it is with a negative approach, and subsequently we hardly hear any positive stories or articles from this region. The bad news from one country seems to affect the image of the entire region and therefore it has not been a popular destination for tourists.

Of course, there are the luxury resorts which cater for the beach tourist, but these usually alienate the tourist from the local population. The real challenge is to encourage the tourist who is visiting the region to be more responsible and beneficial in the country they are visiting so that they will spend and spread their money more wisely, explore the countries diversity and culture outside of the tourist track and be aware of the social and environmental issues developing countries are facing.

West Africa Discovery aims to make that happen and transform the image of West Africa from a lesser known travel destination into a region which is known for its Responsible Tourism initiatives and for its diverse cultural, natural, social and historical heritages.

West Africa Discovery is a socially conscious web based organisation born from the founders’ passion for West Africa and Responsible Tourism. It is a web portal aiming to raise awareness towards the West African region and to promote sustainable/responsible tourism development through the listing of tours, accommodations and volunteer projects that strive towards the fulfilment of criteria outlined in the Cape Town, Kerala and Belize declarations on responsible tourism practices in destinations.

New responsible tourism initiatives in this region have been blooming the past years, but individually they are struggling to get a foot in the door of the tourism industry; however, by creating partnerships, the local suppliers will be stronger with respects to marketing the region as a destination and trigger the arrival of tourists.

A common platform has been lacking to support these initiatives and market them, and that is where West Africa Discovery is filling a gap in the travel industry to promote and be a voice for these unique treasures that the West African countries contain.

Through this web portal, the tourist can be sure that their chosen holidays will benefit the local communities and its people as tour operators are carefully audited in order to be sure that Responsible Tourism policies are being practiced.

Furthermore, it is a platform to educate the tourist that tourism can be used as a tool for development and that their travelling choice can make a difference for local people and communities in the least developed countries in the world which are located in West Africa.

West Africa will see benefits from the West Africa Discovery initiative, not only in the promotion of Responsible and local tourism initiatives but also in sharing good positive stories from West African countries. Find out more on their homepage here.