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Whale Festival Opens in Madagascar
Whale Festival Opens in Madagascar
Sputnik Africa
Madagascar has announced the opening of the 7th edition of the Whale Festival on the northeastern island of Sainte-Marie. Created to pay tribute to these... 16.07.2023, Sputnik Africa
2023-07-16T18:51+0200
2023-07-16T18:51+0200
2023-07-16T18:53+0200
sub-saharan africa
east africa
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A major whale festival opened July 15 on the island of Sainte-Marie, also known as Nosy Boraha, off the coast of Madagascar, the country's tourism ministry announced.As part of the official ceremony, a big carnival was organized by the Tourist Office of Sainte-Marie and the Ministry of Tourism. It was attended by several members of the government and President Andry Rajoelina. A number of cultural and tourist events were also planned.The Great Whale Festival is an event organized in honor of the passage of humpback whales along the coast of Sainte-Marie Island during a short period between July and September. Tourists can observe the whales as they make their way through the waters on specially organized tours.Marine wildlife specialists also use the trip to survey and monitor the various mammal populations that come to breed in the northwestern sector of Madagascar.After a break due to the Covid-2019 pandemic, the 6th Whale Festival took place from July 15 to 18, 2021. As a cultural and tourist event, it brought together not only the local population, but also tourist operators and numerous vacationers from all over the world to participate in this national Malagasy festival.Developing Tourism for Economic RecoveryThis year's edition of the festival opened the day after the Ravoraha airfield in Sainte-Marie received its international airport certificate, according to the ministry of tourism. The ceremony took place on the evening of July 14 in the presence of President Rajoelina. It also marked the start of work to install runway lighting at Ravoraha.Since the opening of the air borders after the coronavirus pandemic, Madagascar is relying on tourism to turn around its economy, as it is the main source of foreign exchange. The Ministry of Tourism expects one million travelers between 2023 and 2028.From Antarctica to the Indian OceanAfter a 5,000-kilometer ocean journey, humpback whales, scientifically known as Megaptera novaeangliae, return from Antarctica to the warm, shallow waters of this corner of the Indian Ocean, where they take advantage of good marine conditions to mate and give birth to calves.The Indian Ocean has always been a privileged place to observe these marine mammals during the austral winter, from June to October, according to websites dedicated to tourism in Madagascar.This species migrates here to give birth in the warm waters of the tropics, not far from the coasts of Mozambique and Tanzania, Madagascar, the Seychelles, Comoros and Reunion, a French department in the Indian Ocean.
https://en.sputniknews.africa/20230519/south-africans-warned-against-consuming-flesh-of-whale-corpse-found-in-hermanus-1059355176.html
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Whale Festival Opens in Madagascar
18:51 16.07.2023 (Updated: 18:53 16.07.2023) Muhammad Nooh Osman
Writer/Editor
Madagascar has announced the opening of the 7th edition of the Whale Festival on the northeastern island of Sainte-Marie. Created to pay tribute to these giants of the sea, the event aims to attract many tourists, who come mainly to admire the passage of whales along the coasts of the island.
A major whale festival opened July 15 on the island of Sainte-Marie, also known as Nosy Boraha, off the coast of Madagascar, the country's tourism ministry announced.
The festival, which lasts until July 25, is called "Zagnaharibe" or "Great God" by the locals, who consider these marine mammals to be gods.
As part of the official ceremony, a big carnival was organized by the Tourist Office of Sainte-Marie and the Ministry of
Tourism. It was attended by several members of the government and President Andry Rajoelina. A number of cultural and tourist events were also planned.
The Great Whale Festival is an event organized in honor of the passage of humpback whales along the coast of Sainte-Marie Island during a short period between July and September. Tourists can observe the whales as they make their way through the waters on specially organized tours.
Marine wildlife specialists also use the trip to survey and monitor the various mammal populations that come to breed in the northwestern sector of Madagascar.
After a break due to the Covid-2019 pandemic, the 6th Whale Festival took place from July 15 to 18, 2021. As a cultural and
tourist event, it brought together not only the local population, but also tourist operators and numerous vacationers from all over the world to participate in this national Malagasy festival.
Developing Tourism for Economic Recovery
This year's edition of the festival opened the day after the Ravoraha airfield in Sainte-Marie received its international airport certificate, according to the ministry of tourism. The ceremony took place on the evening of July 14 in the presence of President Rajoelina. It also marked the start of work to install runway lighting at Ravoraha.
"This is excellent news for the development of the sector, which is already experiencing positive momentum, as evidenced by this year's statistics. While in 2019 Sainte-Marie welcomed 9,205 foreign tourists for the whole year, we are already close to 5,000 tourists for the first six months of this year alone," the ministry said in a statement.
Since the opening of the air
borders after the coronavirus pandemic, Madagascar is relying on tourism to turn around its economy, as it is the main source of foreign exchange. The Ministry of Tourism expects one million travelers between 2023 and 2028.
From Antarctica to the Indian Ocean
After a 5,000-kilometer ocean journey, humpback whales, scientifically known as Megaptera novaeangliae, return from Antarctica to the warm, shallow waters of this corner of the Indian Ocean, where they take advantage of good marine conditions to mate and give birth to calves.
The Indian Ocean has always been a privileged place to observe these marine mammals during the austral winter, from June to October, according to websites dedicated to tourism in Madagascar.
This species migrates here to give birth in the warm waters of the tropics, not far from the coasts of Mozambique and Tanzania, Madagascar, the Seychelles, Comoros and Reunion, a French department in the Indian Ocean.
