The population is difficult to quantify because of the constant stream of tourists in and out of the area as well as the number of temporary residents.

Hotel complexes, nightclubs, bars, restaurants, shops, water sports, real estate agencies all compete for the business of wealthy visitors from other countries.

The rapid development of mass tourism in a relatively poor country has had some negative consequences, such as petty crime, prostitution, pedophilia, and the spread of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

An observatory for the protection of children against abuse and sexual exploitation called Avenir de l'Enfant (The Child's Future) was created in M'bour by a Senegalese non-governmental organization in 2002.

In 2003, M6, a French television channel, broadcast a report focusing on Saly as part of the show Ça me révolte,[4] meaning "That Disgusts Me".