Honourable Abdoulie Jobe was accompanied on the visit by the Permanent and Deputy Permanent Secretaries - Ma'am Cordu L. Jabang-Senghore and Isatou Drammeh respectively with other senior officials from the Ministry of Tourism and Culture and as well as Gambia Tourism Board (GTBoard).
The seven craft markets visited included Banjul Craft Market, Cape Point Craft Market, Bakau Craft Market, Fajara Craft Market, Kotu Craft Market known as BB Craft Market, Palma Rima Craft Market, and Senegambia Craft Market. The visit to other craft markets will follow in due time, officials say.
The visit to these craft markets or tourist markets is for the authorities, especially the new minister and team to familiarise themselves with their modus operandi, meeting them for direct interaction and having first-hand information regarding their business constraints, expectations, and way forward.
The craft vendors at various markets applauded Minister Jobe and his team for taking time to reach out to them without any delay.
Their different complaints were laid on the table including but not limited to the need for renovation of their stalls, inadequate water supply, especially to their toilet facilities, inadequate spaces.
Thus, all their complaints were taken note by the Minister and the entourage.
Responding to the vendors and executives at various points, Minister Jobe commended them for their daily endeavours while assuring them of the Ministry's “good plans in the offing” for them. He noted that all their problems might not be solved once but would be, gradually.
He disclosed that one of his top priorities is to bring back tourists from one of the traditional markets – Scandinavia – where visits of tourists to Destination Gambia have stopped for sometime.
The minister also assured tourism stakeholders that he operates an open-door policy, as his door is wide open for all when it comes to lifting the industry to a higher height.
The Minister dilated on the importance of tourism in the economy of the country and outlined its opportunities including job creation and employment, revenue generation, and infrastructure among other developments.
Ma'am Cordu L. Jabang-Senghore at each point, also addressed the vendors and alluded to the words of the minister, while encouraging them to continue working hard to bring the market back to its good glory.
