In a few
days' time, The Gambia will be playing host to stakeholders in the tourism
industry across the
The strategic objective of the initiative is "to support West African governments and tourism in a manner that contributes to both local development and to poverty alleviation, community empowerment and the protection of the environment".
And it is open to a wide range of participants. These include: European tour operators searching for new and sustainable tourism products; sustainable products looking for market access; hotels and destinations interested in becoming more sustainable; governments looking for exchange of experiences and success stories. Others include promotion agencies searching for partnerships; development agencies identifying new approaches and promising initiatives; and private investors looking for opportunities and inspiration.
So there is something for anybody and everybody at Mboka 2008. All you need do is participate and contribute to improved living standards in the sub region.
We need such initiatives in our quest to alleviate poverty, to promote peace and stability, and to ensure a better life for everyone in the sub region.
But we are
disturbed that given the international character of the event, enough publicity
has not been done yet. We expect that by now, Mboka 2008 should be the talk of
the town. Apart from the newspaper advert very little publicity has been given
to this event. There should be billboards at the airport, seaport and major car
parks across the country to create awareness about the forthcoming event. There
should be sustained radio and TV commercials about the event. The more people
get to know and talk about the event, the more successful it will be. The
Key
stakeholders such as the Gambia Tourism Authority (
