Culture touristique et intégration nationale: cas des populations de la ville de Yaoundé

Abstract

The present study considers tourism culture from the point of view of national integration. It considers the role of the ministries in charge of implementing the policy of the state as regards tourism, culture and also the private actors who intervene in this domain. The study posits that internal tourism is very little developed in Cameroon leading to inter-ethnic mistrust, feelings of xenophobia, ethnic prejudices, all things which are incompatible with the idea of national integration. Consequently, the study objective is to produce knowledge which should encourage internal tourism within the cameroonian population in genaral and that of Yaounde in particular. In terms of methodology, we combined documentary research and fields surveys. Fields surveys involved probabilistics sampling that provided the basis for the administration of questionnaires. Native households as well as those of in-migrants into the city of Yaounde. In addition, we also had discussions with ressources people knowleggeable in this field. The results which we got show that the tourist culture is very little developed in Yaounde in spite of a diversity of ressources with which the city is endowed. This situation is due mainly to the fact that practice of tourism is not part of the culture of these populations. The study concludes on the premise that cultural tourism can grow in Yaounde if the state reduces its level of control activities linked to tourism and by leaving more space for the related private sectors to operate