By: Sainabou Sambou
Senegambia craft market and its vendors still suffering as the 2021/2022 winter tourist season continue with little or without customer patronizing their stalls.
Ousman Cham, one of the vendors at the craft market said this year tourist season is very slow as few tourists to the country are not visiting their stalls this contributed to the slowing down of the business “and this is because of COVID-19 cases increasing in Europe but affecting us in the Gambia.”
He said his expectation in the present season is to see that the tourism industry go forward like it used be before because now there is no improvement in the business; “it is now three seasons since the advent of COVID-19, the government gave us D6000 each last year, though some people could not access this money, anyway.”
Speaking with little hope, he said, sometimes they open their shop without making sales due to the poor season but quickly invited the Tourism Minister to visit the craft market and know how they are living there.
Haddy Touray, too, complained about the season saying it is very poor noting that she had sat for two years without selling due to COVID-19 pandemic until she start opening at begin of this current season.”
According to her, the beginning of the season was good but this December the business is very slow, saying the market is boring there is no tourist to patronize us.
But hopefully, she said, January will be better than December, as they are expecting lots of tourists to visit the destination.
Bamba Njie president of Senegambia craft market said the season is very poor due to the low turnout of tourist in the country.
He said COVID-19 pandemic has affected their business a lot, the tourist season is not like past years, tourists are not coming that’s why craft business is lacking behind.
He disclosed that they received help from the government last year; as they were given D6000 but he added too that it is not everyone that get the money.
He affirmed that begin of the season was a bit better but the new omicron virus in Europe makes the tourist not to come for holiday, and some of the tourists here are about to go too because of it.
What make it worst, he said crafts are not selling only at the market but hotels too are selling them.
He wants changes saying they are paying their licence fees; get their business registration certificates and so on that made them more qualified to sell at the craft market than those selling at the hotels.
He as well like others, urged Tourism Ministry to visit the craft market to know their challenges.
