For decades, The Gambia has sold itself to the world as nothing more than sun, sand and sea. A six-month economy that goes to sleep from May to October. This is an unsustainable model that leaves thousands jobless every off-season and exposes the country to external shocks, from European recessions to pandemics.
From painful history to prosperous future, this is a great opportunity that must be harnessed to the fullest.
The validation of the Visitor Management Plan (VMP) under the Tourism Diversification and Resilience Project (TDRGP) therefore signals a crucial paradigm shift: from beach tourism to heritage and cultural economy.
But let us be frank. Albreda, Juffureh and Kunta Kinteh Island have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2003. For over 20 years we have celebrated that status while the site itself deteriorated — plagued by poor interpretation, weak infrastructure, and host communities that benefit little from the steady stream of diaspora visitors seeking to reconnect with a painful past.
As lead consultant Dr. Simon Woodward rightly noted, what sets Albreda and Juffureh apart is not just its stones and forts, but its passionate people. Yet for years, those people have been reduced to bystanders in their own heritage. This new plan must change that.
If implemented faithfully, the VMP can achieve three critical things:
First, it can turn painful history into economic power. Every African-American, Afro-Caribbean and African diaspora visitor who arrives in Juffureh is not just a tourist — they are a pilgrim. With proper interpretation, dignified access, quality signage and community-led storytelling, that emotional journey can translate into longer stays, higher spending and deeper connections.
Second, it can put local communities at the centre of the value chain. Tourism cannot be world-class if the people of Albreda and Juffureh remain poor. Boat operators, local guides, homestays, food vendors, artists and cultural troupes must own this plan. The Project Implementation Unit must ensure that the assessment of over 60 sites that produced ten priority destinations does not end up as another report gathering dust in Banjul.
Third, it must secure our heritage. Kunta Kinteh Island is eroding. Climate change is real. Without urgent conservation, proper governance and sustainable management, we risk losing the very asset we seek to market.
The warning from Hassoum Ceesay, Director General of the National Centre for Arts and Culture, is apt: tourism is vital to GDP and jobs, but seasonal dependence is a national risk. Diversification is no longer a policy slogan — it is a survival strategy.
The World Bank IDA funding provides the opportunity. What has been lacking in the past is political will and continuity. We have seen too many tourism master plans launched with fanfare and forgotten with time.
This time must be different. The Ministry must move swiftly from validation to implementation, publish clear timelines and hold all actors accountable.
Albreda-Juffureh is not just another tourism site. It is The Gambia’s moral conscience and its strongest link to global Black history. If we get it right there, we can get tourism right everywhere — from Kartong to Koina.
The tide has turned. Let us not miss the boat.