By Yunus S Saliu
After two years of break from the Gambia route due to the emerged of the Coronavirus pandemic, TUI Holland Saturday commenced the ongoing winter tourism with 60 guests flew direct from Amsterdam to destination Gambia.
The TUI Holland maiden flight for the season landed at the BIA at approximately 3:30pm local time and was received by the senior officials of the Gambia Tourism Board (GTBoard) and Gambia Tours.
TUI is one of the very significant tour operators to the Gambia Tourism Board taking into consideration is all year round flights to the destination.
Commenting on the flight shortly after landed, Adama Njie, Director of Marketing GTBoard affirmed that TUI Holland commenced the season with sixty passengers noting that “TUI Holland flight has been absent from the Gambia for two years, since the Covid19 started and coming back to destination Gambia is a good news for us.”
He noted that TUI Holland will be doing two frequencies per week for a start and it is all year round flight which is “a big plus for destination Gambia and we are working behind the scene with the TUI management and grand handler to make sure that flights are increase from Holland to the Gambia.”
However, in a breakdown TUI UK is doing four flights to the destination, TUI Belgium two and now TUI Holland two in total making 8 but if TUI Holland can go back to the normal flights of four then it will be ten in total “and this is not seasonal but all year round and that’s what we are expecting and it is already here.”
Looking at the combinations of both chartered and scheduled flights to the country, he said the flight frequencies to the country per week are fifty three.
Charbel Hobeika, Managing Director of Gambia Tours and Travel Limited expressed satisfaction over the TUI Holland maiden flight saying “TUI Holland has always being a year round Tour Operator. Before the pandemic start they were flying six times a week from Holland to Banjul unfortunately it has to stop because of the pandemic and after two years we have been on zero and today is the first flight from Amsterdam and we have like 60 tourists on the flight because it is shared with Cape Verde Island,” he explained
He explained further that TUI Holland will be flying twice in a week – Saturdays and Wednesday and “looking at the numbers for the future arrivals I can see that it is increasing meaning the confidence is coming back, people are feeling safe to travel again.”
He added that TUI is a company that already flying four times in a week from UK to The Gambia – two times from Gatwick and two times from Manchester and TUI also started the season in November 2021 with two flights from Belgium and now two flights from Amsterdam “and we also looking forward at Germany too,”
Mr Charbel again expressed satisfaction over the service at the airport saying so far it went well from all areas at the airport from immigration to health to level fees they have to pay the customs,
Regarding to Covid-19 intervention he said whatever that is been done in the airport is a very good move as “they are checking properly and again everyone should still take covid-19 serious. It still not gone but still around and we should be careful with it we should always be protected we should respect the facemask, hand washing, social distancing, use of hand sanitiser. It is not a joke and we have to really be very careful of it, Covid19 is real.”