By Yunus S Saliu
In spite of arguments that the political impasse hampered the last 2016/2017 winter tourism season in destination Gambia, some stakeholders in the industry still insist that inadequate marketing of the destination culminated to the decline of the arrival of tourists to the country.
Speaking to The Fatu Network, some of the stakeholders said they will continue to blame the authorities for the decrease because they are doing just little or nothing, especially this year, to improve on their past record when it comes to the number of tourists arriving in the country.
For now, “there is no adequate preparation for the season nobody heard anything from the Ministry itself or from the Gambia Tourism Board about the season. All we hear is their endless travels around the world.
According to them, when the season is around the corner just like now, in the middle of September, there is always a sign of good season as indirect information about the number of flight to the destination will be circulating around, with that “it gives hope for a good season.”
Visiting the tourist’s taxi driver park at the Senegambia, the heart of the tourism development area, it was a mix-opinion. The drivers lamented on the poor marketing of the destination which they said is one of the reasons that caused reduction in the number of tourists.
The decline in the number of tourist arrival is a challenge to the tourist’s drivers who referred to themselves as tourism ambassador since they are the people who take tourists around when they arrive the country and as well bid them goodbye when they leave the country.
Waiting for the season to kick off soonest, one of the tourist drivers’ said expectations are still high.
Among their appeals to the government especially the Gambia Tourism Board, is to further intensify marketing the destination for pluralism of tourists to the destination.
