Madagascar aims to reach the goal of 500,000 tourists until 2020, senior officials said Tuesday.

Joel Randriamandranto, board chairman of the national office of Madagascar tourism made this comment at a press conference for the 6th International Tourism Fair (ITM 2017) scheduled to be held in the country from June 8 to 11.

In 2016, 293,000 tourists visited Madagascar, an increase of 20 percent compared to 2015, Randriamandranto said.

Before the political crisis in 2008, Madagascar had planned to receive 375,000 tourists, Randriamandranto said, adding that new infrastructures will have to be put in place in addition to other strategies to achieve this goal.

Madagascar's minister of tourism Rolland Ratsiraka said the ITM 2017 would serve to support the sector at the institutional level.

Official statistics revealed that in 2016, 10,000 tourists came to Madagascar for various international meetings and competitions and nearly 39,000 others came thanks to cruise ships that visited the country and festivals held here.

New cruise companies will be solicited to come to Madagascar, the minister added.

Data from the ministry of tourism said that French and Italian tourists are on the top of the list of tourists visiting Madagascar and tourism brought in more than 702 million dollars of foreign currency in 2016.

source: Xinhua