By Yunus S Saliu
The reviewed demand and destination assessment of tourism sites report has been ranked to be useful for posterity and together with other infrastructure support by the Tourism Diversification Resilience (TDR) project such as protection of the west coast tourism coastal shore, protection of the UNESCO World Heritage recognized Kunta Kinteh Island, building of a Jetty at Juffureh-Albreda as well as expansion of the Kitchen at GTHI.
Ma’am Cordu L Jabang-Senghore presiding over a two-day workshop on the review of the demand and destination assessment of tourism sites in-depth report held at Ocean Bay Hotel, Cape Point on Wednesday highlighted this while adding that the project would leave a legacy for GOTG, in collaboration with all partners to build on and take Destination Gambia to a level “we all aspire to reach.”
She stated that the review of the report is not only significant in terms of its contribution to the development of tourism in the country but also consistent with the development aspirations of the National Tourism Policy 2021-2031.
Tourism, she reiterated, is one of the most important sectors of Gmabia’s economy, which contributes between 16-20% of Gross Domestic Product, “this led to the approval by the World Bank of a grant through funding from the International Development Association for the implementation of the Tourism Diversification and Resilience in The Gambia Project (TDRGP).”
According to her, the deliverable of the project in the form of the shortlist report touches the very heart of both diversification and ensuring the resilience of tourism through the development and protection of tourism assets.
PS Senghore-Jabang explained that the consultants, KeoisConsulting, for this activity, were tasked to assess a total of 64 tourism sites across the country to identify the top ten most in-demand sites across all regions of the country and conduct a further in-depth study of those sites.
“This is anchored on the pressing need to diversify the country’s tourism offerings to reduce the sector’s vulnerability to external shocks and to attract a broader range of visitors than is currently the case,” she noted.
The PS went further reflecting on the long list report developed and validated in March 2024 by relevant stakeholders, saying the in-depth report is the result of further studies that the consultants have conducted on the shortlisted top ten sites across all the regions of The Gambia “and developed comprehensive proposals for the planning, development, and upgrading of the sites into top-notch tourism hotspots.”
Also, she continued, the report, also provides details of the proposed investment value of these developments, taking into account the economic, social, and environmental considerations “It will help to diversify and improve the tourism product range to attract visitors from all the targets markets. Most importantly, it will also be an impetus to the development and promotion of domestic and regional tourism, which aligns neatly with the aspirations of the National Tourism Policy and Strategy.”
However, on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, she thanked all stakeholders for making the event a success, while assuring them of the ministry’s full cooperation and support in delivering their mandate in the tourism sector.
In his presentation shortly after the official opening of the workshop, Momodou Ceesay, Tourism Diversification and Resilience in The Gambia Project Director delivered a 25-page PowerPoint presentation on the Destination Assessment Longlist Report.
His presentation on Phase B Outcomes captured the background on Demand and Destination Assessment of Tourism Sites; Procedures and Processes for Evaluation of the 64 Locations on the Longlist; Presentation of the Proposed Shortlist; Discussion and agreement of the final List to Form the Basis of Phase C.
The Project Director also highlighted the objective and activities for Phase B, details of consultations, discussed the number of sites to be evaluated, and the key measures against which sites were assessed. Also in his presentation, he touched on the agreed indicators, the outcome, selecting the shortlist of 10 locations, proposed shortlist, by region, by theme, and as well as the final shortlist of 10 sites.