Annually,
millions of people travel abroad, according to the United Nations World Tourism
Organization.
Since
the commencement of this year’s winter season, the country has received more
guests and more are still on the arrivals’ list. Let’s welcome these visiting
guests with smiles and show them why The Gambia is truly called the Smiling
Coast.
Nowadays,
many countries have turned tourism into a pillar of economic growth. For
instance, countries whose export-oriented economy has been hit by weak global
demand,are pushing tourism as an engine of growth, pouring resources to develop
infrastructure and train workers for the travel and tourism industry.
In
the recent past, government of The Gambia is one country committed to
increasing its arrival numbers, thereby embarking on aggressive promos so as to
promote the country as a year-round destination. The sector is the second
source of income for many locals aside agriculture.
Tourism
is the financial hub for many countries in the world because they earn tons of
dollars every year. The other factor is to promote our cultural norms and
heritage to the outside world.
For
instance, London is regarded to be best city in the world that attracts many
travellers every year and one of the leading cities in world most visited by
travellers.
The
World Tourism Organization describes tourism as the greatest movement of people
in pursuit of leisure and is one of the highest-grossing industries.
Research
is required to understand how to harness the benefits while avoiding the
disadvantages associated with tourism.
The
sector is a big business worldwide and accounts for 30% of global trade
revenues in services. In a nutshell, many benefits from various services in the
sector, such as transportation, accommodation, hospitality, and entertainment.
Clearly, the sector is a significant part of global economic activity, and it
would be to Gambia’s great advantage to harness the existing opportunities,
thereby promoting Destination Gambia on the global stage.
There
is need for authorities to focus on quality tourism if we intend to be a popular
destination for tourists seeking quality.
The
new government has not relented on its laurels by embarking on aggressive
campaigns all geared towards promoting Destination Gambia. But more still needs
to be done.
In
order to boost the number of tourists, it is essential to carry out aggressive
promo and marketing strategies to increase arrivals numbers. And this calls for
the involvement of the private sector if the sector is to register any
meaningful development. Also, we need to build the necessary infrastructure,
which could accommodate more tourists, and to promote the country as a holiday
paradise for visitors.
‘‘Tourism
is our second biggest industry in terms of the people it employs.’’
Ed
Rendell