By Yunus S Saliu
Despite the tourism sector is a significant contributor to GDP and employment also being a major source of foreign direct investment in destination Gambia, most of the consumption in the tourism sector remains imported.
Anpa Aryal Pant, Deputy Task Team Leader, Tourism Diversification and Resilience in The Gambia Project, World Bank speaking at the official release of the comprehensive report on the demand destination assessment of Tourism Sites nationwide recently enunciated that despite strong recovery tourist arrivals still remain below pre-pandemic levels, relatively confined area on the cost near Banjul while “most of the consumption in the tourism sector is imported rather than locally grown.”
She noted that tourism is recovering after the pandemic, and “international tourist arrivals recorded a 13% increase this year.”
Commenting on the unveiled report, she highlighted the importance of the report which she described as timely and important for the country, “The sector is heavily reliant on international tour operators who bring about 70 percent of all tourists” and they hardly leave the hotel.
Meanwhile, she highlighted the importance of this in-depth report saying it is a missed for local economic development, for ensuring that the benefits of tourism reach local communities, especially women and youth. Also, it is a missed opportunity to showcase Gambia’s unique cultural heritage, natural beauty, and biodiversity. And also, a missed opportunity to attract high-value tourists to maximize economic benefits.
She added that the report is crucial as it identifies and promotes new tourism destinations, aiming to diversify Gambia’s tourism sector.
Notwithstanding, the released comprehensive report is the demand destination assessment of Tourism Sites nationwide report which unveiled the investment requirements for the ten selected sites earmarked for development and improvement. It is a projected shouldered by the Project Implementation Unit of the Tourism Diversification and Resilience in The Gambia Project, a World Bank-funded project under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture.