Ecotourists have turned their gaze on Madagascar and its bounty of lemurs tourism was up by 21% between 2004 and 2005 but outside the capital, Antananarivo, there are few decent hotels. Local subsistence farmers don't care much, and thus President Marc Ravalomanana, who is determined to pull the world's fourth largest island out of its economic quagmire, craves outside entrepreneurs to boost the hospitality business.
Which is how Marie-José de Speville and Karl-Heinz Horner moved from the Seychelles to Joffreville, a small mountain village 30 km from the northerly port of Diego Suarez. Joffreville was founded...
