Minister Alpha Thiam announces 2 million tourists, official figures tell a different story

Tourism Minister Alpha Thiam announced on TV5 the arrival of two million tourists in Senegal, while data from Blaise Diagne International Airport shows about 1.38 million passengers in 2025. The distinction between 'visitors' and 'tourists' is crucial, as many passengers do not fit the statistical profile of a tourist. Furthermore, Senegal has not communicated its tourism statistics to the World Tourism Organization since 2017.