Beyond the arrival numbers – turning tourists into lasting gains

The tourists who landed at Banjul International Airport in a single day – from Brussels, Amsterdam and Warsaw – are more than statistics. They are a vote of confidence in Destination Gambia at the start of the 2025-2026 winter season.

The signs are encouraging. Three flights in one day, 53 frequencies per week, a new Estonian market that was not even in the marketing plan, and an added regional boost from Value Jet Nigeria.

If the projection of 600 tourists every Friday holds, the Gambia Tourism Board has every reason to be optimistic about surpassing last season’s targets.

This is welcome news. Tourism remains one of our largest foreign exchange earners, a major employer of youth and women, and a shop window for our famed hospitality. The fact that ground handlers like Alkamba Travel and Tours can now talk about expanding to Mauritania, Sierra Leone and Cape Verde shows a sector thinking beyond survival to regional leadership.

But arrival numbers alone do not make a successful season. What matters is what happens after the airport welcome.

Two points demand deeper reflection.

First, the emergence of Estonia. That a market not in the official marketing plan can deliver visitors shows demand for The Gambia exists beyond our traditional strongholds in the UK, Holland and Scandinavia.

The Board must urgently interrogate this. What drove the Estonian interest? How can it be sustained? Our marketing strategy cannot be static while global travel patterns are changing rapidly. We must diversify aggressively while we still hold the advantage.

Second, the admission that “certain markets are increasing, certain markets are going down.”

There is need for an aggressive campaign to promote Destination Gambia. The Board must publish disaggregated data so stakeholders – from hotels to craft market vendors – can plan better.

Finally, the repeated mention of peace as our selling point – “we have a peaceful country” – is both our greatest asset and a fragile one. Tourists do not just come for peace at the airport. They look for peace in service delivery: reliable electricity and water in hotels, clean beaches, safe roads to attractions, and fair treatment without harassment or scams. Peace must translate into a seamless guest experience from Banjul to Basse.

The season has taken off strongly, and the work of Tourism Board officials on the ground is commendable. But to truly cement The Gambia’s position as a leader in the industry, we must move from counting heads to adding value: longer stays, higher spending per tourist, and stronger linkages to agriculture, fisheries, creative industries and community tourism.

The arrivals in a single day are a good start. Turning those arrivals into sustainable jobs and national development – that is the real measure of success we want to celebrate at the end of the season.