Madagascar: A perfect place for kitesurfing, but will tourists come?

FRANCE 24 English

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00:00Sakalava Bay has everything a kitesurfer could dream of.

00:04Winds that average 25 knots almost all year round,

00:08beautiful reef breaks and a flat, shallow lagoon.

00:11Despite these uniquely perfect conditions,

00:14the site is little known among practitioners of the sport.

00:17Today, two of kitesurfing's biggest stars

00:20have been invited to promote Sakalava Bay

00:22in a bid to draw more visitors.

00:25I would compare Sakalava Bay to Brazil or Hawaii or Gran Canaria

00:33and I think it's also almost better than those world-class spots.

00:37It's amazing here, you've got flat water and beautiful waves,

00:40wind every day, so definitely one of my top.

00:43There are just a few hundred kitesurfers who take to the waves here each year,

00:48most of whom are residents.

00:50Better-known destinations like Brazil

00:52attract some 320,000 kitesurfers annually.

00:56Despite this, the 20-odd kitesurfing schools in the bay

00:59have proved a valuable source of income

01:01and inspiration for the local village.

01:08My aim is to represent Madagascar in international competitions.

01:15We watch videos of champions like Stig Hoffnagel,

01:18Kohan Van Dijk and Jamie Overbeek.

01:21We improve by imitating their style.

01:27Madagascar won't be sending kitesurfers to the Olympics anytime soon.

01:31Its national federation doesn't even organize competitions.

01:34In 2022, three Malagasy instructors took it upon themselves

01:38to create the country's first annual kitesurf contest

01:42in a bid to drive up tourism.

01:44But they hit a major obstacle, the price of plane tickets.

01:49When people see that getting here costs 2,000 euros

01:52while going to Morocco costs 300 or 400 euros,

01:55of course they go to Morocco.

01:57We would be able to improve things

01:59if the plane tickets were less expensive.

02:04A ten-hour training course here costs some 2,500 euros per person,

02:09including flights from Paris and accommodation.

02:12For some kitesurfers, the perfect conditions

02:15and chance to kitesurf in a lagoon

02:17with no one else around is well worth the price.

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