By Yunus S Saliu
The Permanent Secretary at Ministry of Tourism and Culture has called for further collaboration from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries with The Gambia for more mutual, beneficial projects and programs.
Kodu Jabang-Senghore made this calls on Monday at the opening ceremony of the Muslim Friendly Tourism Standards and Quality Service Provision training program designed for accommodation providers in OIC member countries held at local hotel.
She pointed out that, her Ministry will welcome establishment and strengthening of tourism institution in The Gambia from the Islamic Tourism Center in Malaysia and other comparable centers of excellence in the Muslim Ummah to develop national capacity in the tourism sector.
Expressing delight on the training theme ‘Muslim Friendly Tourism (MFT) Standards and Quality Service Provision’ in the OIC member countries, she said MFT, is no doubt, a stride to new and phenomenal in the worldwide valuable opportunities for the tourism industry.
To earnest the best out of this innovative opportunities and realize the highest outcome the “Ministry and its satellite institutions will have to involve in process of understanding and appreciating the requirement and fundamentals of the noble market without trampling the convenience of non-Muslim,” she stated.
The key objective of the training as she highlighted is to help the country as a destination to comprehend the concept of MFT, its various components and to facilitate and exchange ideas on the opportunities and challenges in developing and marketing MFT.
“A sound knowledge of MFT standard is relevant to tourism industry players and policy makers alike,” she noted.
She added: “Diversifying our tourism products and services can translate our tourism sector that will pave various tourism markets with different and diverse demand and expectation.”
She continued, that makes economic sense that OIC member countries see the need for skill personnel at all levels through which they can offer high quality experiences to the international, regional and domestic visitors to stay to the Muslim ummah and as well as non-Muslim tourists without trampling on the convenience of the non-Muslim.
The Permanent Secretary later thanked COMCEC for funding the training and the project trainers, coordinator and contact person on study training to Malaysia recently and extended appreciation to Gambia Tourism Board for sponsoring a representative of the Gambia Hotel Association to be part of the study training.
Abdoulie Hydara, Director General of Gambia Tourism Board gave an in-depth of the ‘Muslim Friendly Tourism (MFT) Standards and Quality Service Provision’ training program.
He explained that it is in two components which one of it was the study visit to Malaysia by member of the project personnel to learn Muslim best practice in the world of the renowned MFT destination, Malaysia.
The second component is the ongoing five days capacity building of accommodation providers in The Gambia and other sister OIC countries.
The project, he added, marked the fourth project The Gambia has won through COMCEC project funding scheme for the tourism sector “this will not be the last,” he assured.