Madagascar Tour Operators require a license to technically operate, but many informal guides and agencies exist. The base level operators like MTT serve other large and foreign travel agencies who mark up their tours or fill group tours under white label auspices privately branded up to around 20-35% premium on average, and then pass it on to other distribution and booking channels at a further 10-25% premium.

There is no one tourism quailty standards organization or association in Madagascar. A few rent-seeking pay-for-membership clubs exist for tour companies with zero checks or real quality assurance, and a lot of fake tripadvisor review-fishing companies have popped up (at least 4) in Madagascar and in neighboring East Africa and India, that farm out fake reviews. Be on the lookout for these fakes.

Tourism is severely depressed in Madagascar, with its neighboring nations far outshining annual arrivals. Not one single western standard 5 star hotel exists anywhere yet in the country, no American nor European brand, Hilton having left the country in dissapointment, and even a critical shortage of midrange hotels is problematic in Nosy Be. Infrastructure is limited, but prices are very good for tourism and better value typically than an African safari.

Guides who speak Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and Portuguese are harder to find and command higher daily wages in Madagascar.