The session, which took place at the Senegambia Beach Hotel, brought together key stakeholders from the tourism sector and was aimed at refining policies that will position The Gambia as a leading travel destination.
During the session, participants explored comprehensive findings from The Gambia's marketing and branding situational analysis, examined various planned options, and identified key investment opportunities that will drive growth and diversification of the tourism sector.
Abubacarr S. Camara, Director General of the Gambia Tourism Board, acknowledged the past challenges in marketing without a clear roadmap and emphasised the importance of developing a unified strategy, particularly given limited resources.
DG Camara thus highlighted the need for measurable returns on marketing efforts and encouraged active participation of all to create a comprehensive marketing document.
The validation, he said, is an opportunity for stakeholders to shape the future of marketing, assuring that the Gambia Tourism Board will implement the agreed-upon strategy.
For his part, Mike Fabricius, project consultant, underscored the importance of the sessions, saying ideas for a marketing strategy would be discussed with key tourism stakeholders.
Deputising for the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Momodou Ceesay, who doubles as the project coordinator, expressed excitement at successes registered thus far especially in developing The Gambia's tourism marketing, branding, and investment strategy, with two comprehensive situational analysis reports; completed one on marketing and branding and another on investment promotion.
The two analysis reports, he said, are set to define the country's tourism brand, finalise the logo, and establish strategic marketing goals.
“The reports provide a detailed analysis of The Gambia’s current tourism landscape, incorporating research, expert field visits, and market surveys among travel influencers, international tourism boards, and tour operators. They also include competitive benchmarks against destinations like Cabo Verde, Guyana, and Sri Lanka.”
Mr. Ceesay explained that the next steps include drafting a destination brand and marketing strategy, setting growth objectives, identifying target markets, and developing a five-year action plan with clear budgets and key performance indicators (KPIs).
