By Yunus S Saliu
The Gambia delegation led by the Honourable Minister of Tourism and Culture is currently in Lagos, Nigeria attending the UNWTO Global Conference on linking tourism, culture, and creative industry pathway for recovery and inclusive development.
The global conference was organised under the aegis of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and it kicked off on Monday, 14th, and will end on Wednesday 16th November 2022.
Honourable Hamat NK Bah, who led the high-profile delegation to the conference, was accompanied by the Director Generals of the Gambia Tourism Board (GTBoard), Aboubacarr Camara, Hassoum Ceesay of the National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC), and two other senior officials of the GTBoard.
This highly attended global conference gathered top-notch panelists and stakeholders to discuss linkages and opportunities between cultural tourism and the creative industries.
As part of the first day’s deliberations, the Director General of the GTBoard, Aboubacarr Camara took his turn and presented Destination Gambia, The Smiling Coast of Africa to the admiration of all attendees.
The Global Conference seeks to offer a unique networking opportunity for industry players, practitioners, government officials, and policymakers to debate contemporary and future issues, as well as exchange ideas and information relating to tourism, culture, and the creative industry; promotes innovative policies to harness the symbiotic potential of cultural tourism and the creative industries; identifies investment avenues and mobilization of human and financial resources to boost recovery, and amongst others.
However, speaking to the Director General of the GTBoard, Aboubacarr Camara via telephone, he said “as part of the New Tourism Policy and Strategy, Destination Gambia is required to consolidate the gains already made in the Nigerian market as one of the key regional source markets. Efforts are therefore underway to undertake a major and aggressive marketing campaign in Nigeria to attract high spenders/elite groups.”
Meanwhile, Aboubacarr Camara, Director General of the GTBoard was among those recognized with award by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at the ongoing conference.