As
part of efforts to promote tourism products and to create youth empowerment and
employment, the Ninki Nanka Trail product was launched on Monday, at Gambia Tourism and Hospitality Institute
(GTHI) in Kanifing,
In
his launch statement, director general of Gambia Tourism Board Abdoulie Hydara
said the Ninki Nanka Trail product is a very important project as far as Gambia
tourism is concerned.
“When
one travels across the world, he can hardly find the uniqueness of the river
Gambia anywhere. The Ninki Nanka Trail is well positioned to be the key activity
that would drive The Gambian tourism sector.”
He
said the Ninki Nanka Trail is a much needed constrast to the sun, sand and sea
package tourism that builds on the untapped potential of the River Gambia aimed
largely at the adventure traveler and special interest groups.
Dawda
Nyang, director general of Gambia Tourism and Hospitality Institute (GTHI) said
the Nikinanka Trail product plays a very important role to GTHI as a institution.
“We
play an important role during the internal and external mapping of the trail as well as tools to be
use to develop this community base tourism.”
Lamin
Fatty, director of Product Development, Investment and Culture at the Gambia
Tourism Board said the Ninki Nanka Trail product will be one of the most
important products that Gambia ever has, adding that it is going to help in
terms of re-positioning The Gambia as a cultural destination.
“It
will also help to promote upcountry tourism development,” he noted.
Ngone
Panneh, ITC national consultant for Tourism and Creative Industries Development
under the European Union funded Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) said the the YEP project is to identify economic
opportunities in sustainable tourism industry to empower youth across the
country.
She
said the project is also meant to
support product diversification, capacity building and institutional
strengthening, saying ITC has been partnering with the Gambia Tourism
Board, National Center for Arts and
Culture, The Gambia Tourism and Hospitality Institute (GTHI), the Ministry of
Tourism and Culture, communities and associations for the past two years.
Sainey
Ceesay, representative of National Center for Arts and Culture (NCAC) said the Niki Nanka trail is a major cultural
product which is both the tangible and intangible heritage, saying some of the
heritage sites like the Mungo Park at Karantaba and the Stone Circle of the
Senegambia fall upon the Nikinanka Trail.
Binta Cassama, Product Developemt Officer of
The Gambia Tourism Board, said the launching of the Niki Nanka Trail is in line with one of the strategic objectives of The Gambia Tourism Development
Master Plan.
Dr
Adama Bah, Product consultant said the Niki Nanka trail has been talked about
many years which started with Gambia river excursion.
He
said the government and the private sector should be more involved in the
development of river Gambia.
