Mali hotel attack: 'West Africa's lost treasure' is latest victim of tourism blight in the region

The latest Lonely Planet guide to West Africa devotes just four pages to a country five times bigger than Britain

Members of special forces are seen inside the Radisson Blu after suspected Islamist gunmen stormed the hotel in Mali's capital (AFP)

“West Africa’s lost treasure,” is how the overland company, Dragoman, describes Mali. For World Music aficionados, it is one of the richest countries in the world, with creativity flowing as powerfully as the Niger River.

In normal circumstances thousands of British travellers would now be flying south to engage with Mali’s imperial history, wild terrain and diverse wildlife - many of them heading for Timbuktu, an ancient seat of learning.

But these are not normal times, and the northern border with Algeria has proved a porous route for warriors and weapons.

The latest Lonely Planet guide to West Africa devotes just four pages to a country five times bigger than Britain, saying: “Its landscapes, monuments, mosques and music bars are off-limits, sealed from tourists by a conflict that is threatening the culture of this remarkable country."

Even before the bloody events in the capital, Bamako, Mali was on the Foreign Office danger list.

“Maintain several days’ stock of food and water in case disturbances take place,” recommends the Foreign Office. “There is a high threat from terrorism, including kidnap.”

The north of Mali receives the most stringent FCO warning, “Avoid all travel,” because of a wave of jihadist terrorism. As this murderous attack shows, the horrors are spreading south.

For West Africa’s travel industry - which for the most part is embryonic - the Bamako assault will only spread the tourism blight that haunts the region. Ghana attracts discerning travellers, and Senegal and The Gambia are well prepared for sunseeking French and British holidaymakers. But the tone of much of media coverage of the Ebola crisis triggered unfounded fears among many prospective visitors - which spread even as far as the Cape Verde Islands, 350 miles off the coast of the African mainland.

In the immediate future, West Africa’s treasures will remain a secret. But as the new-found popularity of formerly war-torn countries such as Nicaragua and Vietnam shows, tourism can form an important part of a nation’s recovery.