ABSTRACT
The Malian Government is increasingly regulating tourism in an attempt to standardise the industry. The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) for Africa reported that tourism to the continent grew at a greater pace than tourism to the rest of the world. Tourism at the time in Djenn was organised through a government-run association named the Socit Malienne d'Exploitation de Resources Touristiques (SMERT). The Office Malienne du Tourisme et de l'Htellerie (OMATHO) office in Djenn first opened its doors to guides and tourists in 2004. The guides were required to register their clients at the OMATHO office to allow the Ministry of Tourism to have a clearer idea of the number and provenance of tourists to Djenn. The negotiations about the nature of historical knowledge in Djenn and the qualifications needed by guides to talk authoritatively about the past become visible in relation to tourist access to archaeological sites.
