By Yunus S Saliu
For the first time in the history of the remarkable International France Tourism Market (IFTM) 2023, The Gambia Ministry of Tourism and Culture (MOTC) in close collaboration with the Gambia Tourism Board (GTBoard) for the first time attending the Top Resa International France Tourism France Market (IFTM) 2023 holdings in Paris France.
The delegation to the 45th edition of the Top Resa IFTM 2023 which officially kicked off on the 3rd of March and will end on the 5th of October 2023 is led by the Gambia Tourism Minister and Culture, Honourable Hamat NK Bah and was supported by the Gambian High Commission in France while the Minister was accompanied by Aboubacarr S Camara – Director General of Gambia Tourism Board (GTBoard), Hassoum Ceesay – Director General of National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Hassan Jallow – Permanent Secretary at Ministry of Tourism and Culture (MOTC), Adama Njie – GTBoard Director of Tourism Promotion-UK, and others.
Meanwhile, The Gambia team to the IFTM Top ResaInternational and French Travel Market on Tuesday shortly after the official opening of the event held in the Arena by Jordan Tourism Board at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, in the heart of Paris later commenced their campaign, attending the conferences which among is International Panorama at the same venue.
Team Gambia at this France’s major event meant for tourism destinations and professionals gives the team a great opportunity to openly promote and sell Destination Gambia, Smiling Coast of Africa’s tourism products, culture, artifacts, hotels and resorts, tourism activities among others to different French nationals and other participants from all over 170 destination markets across the world.
Speaking to Adama Njie, GTBoard Director of Tourism Promotion-UK reiterated that it is the first time the Gambia is attending this impressive Top Resa International France Tourism Market (IFTM 2023) which he described as the biggest tourism fair in France.
He noted that 170 destinations and 30,000 tourism professionals are attending the expo “and apart from conferences which kicked start the event on Tuesday, the delegation will meet different stakeholders in the industry which include Air France, Ethiopian Airlines, and the Senegalese Delegation on the issue of domestication of the route between Banjul-Dakar.”
Mr. Aboubacarr S Camara, Director General of the Gambia Tourism Board (GTBoard) expressed delight saying a lot of success has been registered during a round table meeting with the Senegalese Delegation “The Honourable Minister HamatNK Bah stressed the issue of the domestication of Banjul-Dakar route as promised by the two-Presidency. We are thrilled to mention that the CEO of Air Senegal promised by Monday the 9th of October the cost of a ticket between Dakar-Banjul will not be more than the cost of a ticket between Dakar-Ziguinchorwhich is a highlight of the meeting between the two delegations.”
Meanwhile, the “IFTM Top Resa International & French Travel Market“ is a prestigious trade show in the travel and tourism industry, established in 1979.
It is held at the impressive Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, in the heart of Paris. Every year, this event attracts numerous industry professionals and experts from the tourism sector. Reed Expositions France, a renowned trade show organizer, is responsible for its organization and execution.
The main topics discussed during the conferences by industry experts range from attractiveness, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions), leisure travel, and responsible tourism to digital technologies and innovations in the tourism field.