Jetair
flight, which stopped coming to the country for the past sixteen years, has
resumed its flights to The Gambia.
Jetair,
a Belgian flight, Friday landed at Banjul International Airport with a number
of tourists onboard and was received by officials of the Gambia Tourism Board,
as well as tour operators.
Speaking
to journalists shortly after the landing of the aircraft, Abdoulie Hydara,
director-general of GTBoard, said he was “very excited” and that it all started
earlier this year when the Minister of Tourism and Culture together with
officials of GTBoard and stakeholders visited the International Trade Fair in
Berlin.
The
Minister of Tourism started discussion with the Tui top officials on the
possibility of putting up chartered flights from Belgium, and this was followed
by the visit of top and senior officials of Tui to destination Gambia.
Director
Hydara said during their visit to The Gambia, they had a press conference and
they promised that, come this season, they would put up two direct flights from
Belgium to The Gambia.
“This
is now happening, and today the first flight from Belgium landed in destination
Gambia, and we are also expecting more flights from Belgium directly to The
Gambia.
“I
always say this is unprecedented in the history of tourism development in the
country. We have been working with the Minister of Tourism to bring a lot of
new things in the tourism industry. This flight took sixteen years off from
flying to destination Gambia. In 2016, they started flying again,” he added.
Adama
Njie, director of Marketing at GTBoard, said it happened because of the
meetings and joint marketing with Belgium headed by the Minister of Tourism and
Culture.
GTBoard
marketing director also told journalists that last year they were at ITM, and
met with some decision-makers from Belgium who said they would now look at The
Gambia.
“I
think it is important for them to venture into the destination; so that is the
reason why we have got this flight after sixteen years of absence from The
Gambia.”
As a destination, he added, it is good for The
Gambia, and they are doing some joint marketing with them and are going to
continue with that.
Charbel
Hobeika, managing director of Gambia Tours, said this was the first flight from
Belgium, and they would be flying twice a week, every Friday and Monday, and
this will be ongoing until April.
“This
was the first chartered flight from Brussels, and it had been many years that
we did not have this flight in The Gambia; now it is happening,” he said.
Luc
A. Verscheiden, Consultant Tourism and Hospitality Pride in Achievement, said
this was a good move, and flights would continue to land in destination Gambia.