By Yunus S Saliu
After a long wait comes a surprise package for the winter tourism season 2024/2025 as the Gambia Tourism Board announces the welcoming of Apollo Air to the Destination Gambia starting from the upcoming winter tourism season 2024/2025.
As tickets are presently on sale to holidaymakers and tourists from the Nordic countries, Apollo Air will fly directly from Copenhagen, Denmark to Banjul, The Gambia starting from 5th November 2024.
The announcement described as good news is a relief to some of the intended holidaymakers and tourists from the Nordic countries wishing to experience new places and visit The Gambia.
However, Foday Bah, Officer-In-Charge of Marketing Gambia Tourism Board noted that tourists have been coming from that part of the world to destination Gambia since the 1960s but not in abundance recently. Saying “Tourists have been coming from Denmark to the destination but in low numbers due to the issue of air access,” he added.
The Nordic countries being an important market to The Gambia, the GTBoard had a director responsible for the market covering Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Norway. “With the efforts of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, and of course the GTBoardwe secured a joint partnership with Apollo Air to penetrate the market with full support from the GTBoard, GCAA for landing space, and GIA in terms of grand handling.”
Meanwhile, Apollo Air commencing flight to Destination Gambia on 5th November 2024 to 1st April 2025 with 160 capacity passengers weekly and it is a direct flight from Copenhagen, Denmark to Banjul, The Gambia “Based on the data we are receiving, it is a good number of booking. This year I believe we will receive good numbers of arrivals from Denmark because it is direct flights catering for different countries around the region.”
He added that there is huge potential in that market now that they successfully have Apollo Air onboard it will bring some changes “and we are expecting another airline from Italy which will be flying direct to the Gambia.”
However, a message published on the Apollo Air website captured Novelty! Apollo Launches Trips to Gambia read “Apollo’s portfolio is growing in step with the Swedes’ appetite for adventure. That’s why the tour operator is now expanding its winter program with another destination in Africa: The Gambia!”
Martina Krantz, a Press Officer at Apollo stated “Since the pandemic, we have seen a clear increase in demand for new destinations, especially during the winter months. Swedes will always love the Canary Islands, but more and more people want to experience new places, get to know new cultures, try new flavors, and broaden their horizons – and The Gambia fulfills all their holiday needs.”
The Gambia may be Africa’s smallest country, but its captivating range of great experiences and activities belies its small size. The miles of sandy beaches are of course an attraction in themselves, but here you can also kayak by moonlight, explore national and cultural parks, learn local culinary skills, go treasure hunting in colorful markets, and treat yourself to a day on a boat on the famous Gambia River.
Krantz went on “In The Gambia, the pace is slow, but the opportunities are many. Here you can relax in good hotels or fill your holiday with experiences, senses, and tastes that you will not soon forget. The variety and the relatively short travel distance also make this a good destination for everyone – from families with children and groups of friends to adults and active travelers.”
So, Apollo’s travelers will have three different classes to choose from: SAS Charter Standard, SAS Charter Plus, and SAS Charter Business.
Fact About Apollo
Apollo is one of the Nordic region’s leading tour operators with upwards of 500 employees and one million travelers annually. With them, customers can travel all over the world, regardless of whether they want to go on a relaxing sun and beach holiday, take a training week in the heat, or spend a weekend in an exciting big city. They arrange charter trips, training trips, city trips, and cruises and also offer secure booking of flights and hotels separately if the customer prefers to put together its trip.