By Yunus S Saliu
Exposing and boosting education cum excitement around, the Gambia Tourism Board (GTBoard) is now whetting Gambian’s desires for domestic tourism in Destination Gambia, Smiling Coast of Africa through aggressive awareness creation in promoting domestic tourism in the country.
In this latest effort, the GTBoard in collaboration with a team of highly social media influential and members of travel and tour writers launched a unique local campaign promo on Domestic Tourism to broaden people’s horizons about domestic tourism.
Revitalizing domestic tourism in the country, the crusade showcased different tourism facilities/activities that can be undertaken in any part of the tourism development areas, from TDA 1 to TDA 10 (countrywide) for everyone to enjoy their annual and public holidays, weekends, short breaks from work, and the likes.
Leading the team during the crusade, Mamou Suwaneh, Senior Officer Marketing Communication – GTBoard explained that promoting domestic tourism in the destination becomes crucial as citizens and other residents in the country need to explore the beauty of the country by visiting nature, flora, and fauna, the serenity and calm river Gambia to see what the country has to offer, and also learn and enjoy the country’s history, the food, among other things the international tourists visiting the country are enjoying on their visit in The Smiling Coast.
He noted further that domestic tourism helps one to understand the culture and experience different things, more also, “domestic tourism is not only for enjoyment but will also contribute to the sustainable tourism development of the country.”
He highlighted the importance of domestic tourism which is one of the ways to relax with family and friends and take a break from work to energize the body.
However, Mr. Suwaneh urged the beach users to always keep the beach clean after using it by dropping all litter in dustbins stationed in various locations of the beaches across the country while noting that “The Gambia Tourism Board already put in place a service of a commercial company to maintain the cleanliness of the beaches. But it is the individual responsibility of users to make it clean by stopping littering the beaches and its environments.”
Meanwhile, domestic tourism became the savior of many tourism destinations during COVID-19 and it increased significantly since after the pandemic.
Notwithstanding, in this latest promo campaign for domestic tourism, hotels, restaurants, and other related tourism services are offering prices and menus to the taste of residents at affordable prices.
In the first three days of the campaign, social media influential; travel and tour writers were exposed to different tourism activities and facilities including jet skiing, kayaking, nightlife activities around the Senegambia strip, a showcase of hotels activities, river cruising/boat trips, Sunday beach activities and lots more.
