By Aminata Sanneh
The Minister of Tourism and Culture has said that the Ministry,through the Gambia Tourism Board (GTBoard) is intensifying its marketing strategy to make The Gambia a world-class tourist destination with product innovation, diversification and quality service delivery.
Honourable Hamat Bah said this in an interview at his office in Banjul. He said the GT Board has realised the need to market “Destination Gambia” by the institution and not to completely depend on tour operators.
“They are embracing modern strategies such as digital marketing, visits to high destination countries. We have visited many countries and the situation remains positive and we are optimistic that the maiden flight will arrive in October,” Minister Bah disclosed.Honorable Bah said the hospitality industry is currently bracing up for the 2022 tourist season as hotels, lodges and other key actors are busy renovating and producing attractive products and leisure services.
He went on to explain that The Gambia has learned best practices from Kenya and is working towards increasing domestic tourism.
“Domestic tourism is increasing significantly. We are looking for ways to restore local visitor confidence and reshape the tourism industry by encouraging Gambians to explore their country. This is now a crucial component that we are tiredlessly working on,” he remarked.
According to Minister Bah, the probability of launching the US$68 million grant to support the diversification and climate resilience of the tourism sector in The Gambia in September 2022 is high as preparations are ongoing for the grand event.
He mentioned that currently discussions are ongoing to acquire more resources for the development of the sector with a focus on improving the quality of products and services by hoteliers and other stakeholders.
The Gambia’s tourism industry primarily relies on the charter market with most tourists on package tours. Air travel links with the rest of the world are limited but there are direct and multiple flights per week to and from Europe as well as some flights within the West Africa sub-region.
