Gambia Tourist Season Kicks Off

The Gambia 2009-2010 tourists’ season opened Thursday at the Banjul International Airport with the arrival of the first batch of more than 200 tourists from Sweden and Denmark.

Most holiday makers coming to the Gambia come mainly from the United Kingdom and the Scandinavian countries.

Speaking to journalist shortly after the arrival of the tourists, Morten Evensen, the area manager for Thomas Cook (a tour operator) said even though the world economic crisis will impact negatively on tourism, he was convinced that this year’s tourist season will be slightly better for the Gambia than predictions made by sceptics. He said the Gambia was a cheap destination and that will attract several tourists from Scandinavia.

He revealed that his company plans to bring more than 600 tourists to the Gambia every week. He said the bookings they have for this year’s season were promising.

Lamin Saho, the marketing director at the Gambia Tourism Authority, said they were facing several challenges as a result of the global economic crisis, but he was quick to add that they are now exploring new markets like Russia and Nigeria.

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Gambia commissions a new craft market for tourism development

The Gambian Minister of Youth and Sports, Sheriff Gomez, on Wednesday officially commissioned a multi-million dalasis Bungalow Beach Craft Market, at a ceremony held at the premises of the new complex in Kotu, about 11 kilometres outside Banjul, the capital.

In his keynote speech, Minister Gomez told the gathering that global trends in tourism development are constantly changing to meet the demands of new and more sophisticated type of tourists, who are yearning to experience new things with a high taste for quality. "Therefore, if The Gambia is to compete and position itself firmly in this dynamic business of tourism, it is prudent that we should strive to craft new products and improve on the existing ones to meet the ever changing taste of discerning travellers and visitors to our beautiful country," he said.

The Gambia, he indicated, is already a renowned tourist destination which attracts a large number of tourists annually, and has all necessary features to become the distinctive tourism destination envisioned in the Vision 2020. The market, he added, will not only complement government’s poverty alleviation efforts in terms of enhancing employment opportunities for Gambian youths and women, “but it would also go a long way in adding value to our tourism product.”

For her part, the Minister of Tourism and Culture, Nancy Njie, said to remain competitive in this region, there is the need to get the products right. "We must have the right facilities and standards. The new Gambia calls for new attitudes and new products," she stated. She spoke about the contribution of women to national development, expressing delight about the fact that out of the 149 vendors at the market, the women occupy at least one hundred stalls.

In his turn, the chairman of the Gambia Tourism Authority board of directors, Alieu Mboge said the construction of the market was in line with the policy of creating a conducive environment for the locals to showcase enterprise and other skills to the delight of the visitors in the tourism industry.

The project, he added, is a real success as it has demonstrated what can be achieved through local enterprise, talent and expertise. Mboge went: "It is in line with sustainable tourism development and our efforts to empower the youths and women of this country.”