By Aminata Sanneh
Tourism and Culture Ministry has confirmed that the Gambian hotels - Kombo Beach Hotel in Kotu; and Ocean Bay, in Bakau, have been declared the most friendly in the world and second most friendly hotel in Africa, in that respective order.
The Tripadvisor survey says Kombo Beach Hotel is known for welcoming back repeat guests, and that customer service is the key with 52.74% of reviewers calling it “friendly”, while second placed Ocean Bay Hotel & Resort, scores 49.9% “friendly” reviews.
The survey indicated that several guests and tourists have given testimonies towards the hospitality nature offered by the two hotels.
Gambia wins UNWTO Tourism & Decade of Action Award
In related development, The Gambia has emerged as winner of the United Nations World Trade Organisation (UNWTO) Award on Tourism and Decade of Action.
The UNWTO staged the 2023 edition of the Tourism Video competition among Member States. This year‘s competition with the theme: “Celebrating the Power of Tourism through Film”, was divided into two categories; The “Tourism and the Decade of Action” and the “Exceptional Stories of Sustainable Tourism“.
The UNWTO revealed that Member States were invited to submit videos for consideration, where a Jury of media professionals was set up to judge submissions based on how well they communicate the positive impacts of tourism.
Submissions for the first category (Tourism and the Decade of Action) were judged on how well they show how the tourism sector is advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through references to one or more of the 17 Global Goals, while submissions on the second category (Exceptional Stories of Sustainable Tourism) were judged based on the human face of tourism and the positive social impact the Tourism sector can deliver for communities and individuals.
The winners of this competition were announced during the UNWTO General Assembly, taking place this week in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
The 2023 winners are:
Decade of Action:
• Africa: The Gambia - Welcome to Gambia
• Americas: Panama - Panamá vive pormás
• Asia and the Pacific: Philippines - Tourism Heroes of Palawan
• Europe: Georgia - Stumari
• Middle East: Oman - Experience Oman
Exceptional Stories:
• Africa: Kenya - Magical Kenya
• Americas: Panama - Panamá vive pormás
• Asia and the Pacific: Philippines - Tourism Hero of Zamboanga City
• Europe: Switzerland - My Swisstainable Journey - IvanoKünzli
• Middle East: Egypt - Visit Esna
