By Landing Colley
Institution of Travel and Tourism of The Gambia has on Saturday graduated 105 students as its twelfth batch, held at Ebujan in Kanifing.
ITTOG aims to provide a successful learning environment that is inclusive and practical meets the specific needs of the local tourism industry and increase the skills and employability of its student.
Speaking at the ceremony, chairman board of directors, Dr. Adama Bah said: “I am sure those graduating today learn the spirit of helping each other in class room lesson of costumer care, as they cannot be what they are without the people and their country.”
“Develop yourself but do not be selfless as we are fortunate to leave in society were the value of helping each other is still alive,” he added.
According to him, specific inclusion of tourism in 2030 agenda of sustainably development is an acknowledgement of the global significant of the sector adding that the development of the tourism sector presides is not an end goal in itself, as all effort should concentrate on the transformation of tourism to be a pool of development.
Bah could recall since the start of tourism there was an issue of coming with the right strategist for it to develop and the right way as tourism strategist minimize the negative impark and maximize the positive ones.
Hon. Halifa Sallah who also spoke at the graduation ceremony: “the current economic is a service economic as it claims that agriculture contribute 18% GDB at develop, industry 20% at develop and service 62% saying our tourism is link to the reach outside of our own land and the African continent.”
There is no though that the area they have training in is a key area of the national economic, and fundamentally what they have done is to cave a new path for tourism in the country, he said.
He said: “what we urge to do is to look at what we have as the hotel we have should be consuming goods produce by us and that is how tourism can be domesticate in order to ensure that this young people get the least that they deserve.”
“There is tourism that the only person who is a failure is a person who dare not struggle against challenges,” he added.
Rose Jatta a student said commended the institution for providing a very conducive environment for all the students.
She addressed her fellow graduate should to use the knowledge wisely that they gain from ITTOG as many graduated without a job.