Tourism prospects dim near term.

Senegal's tourist industry is suffering even as West Africa has worked so hard to build its visitor industry, according to a pessimistic BBC World News report.

According to BBC, bad press in French newspapers over a reported increase in child prostitution at the country's most popular beach resort, the Petit Cote, has not helped but the real hammer blow has been the global recession.

Luxury holidays are one of the first things cut when money is tight and, though the decline this year has been gentle, the figures for next year look dire.

Salif Badiane is the executive director of Africa Connection Tours says: "At this time of the year we should have had orders for 30 to 35 percent of our turnover. Now we are under 5 percent of our turnover and that's why we are so concerned."

Looking at the positive, however, we would note that the hard work of building service infrastructure--everything from good roads to reliable internet-- and buffing up the outstanding natural attractions of Senegal will create long-term opportunities, as the economy revives and news scandals fade...