The Gambia is in the final stages of a new tourism masterplan aimed at re-focusing attention from the destination’s mass market sun, sea and sand product, to what the tourism board calls the “real and off the beaten track Gambia.”
The destination sees its biggest-ever delegation at World Travel Market, where the Department of State for Tourism and Culture is promoting The Gambia’s eco, cultural and community tourism attractions.
New and refurbished properties are being promoted and the Department is encouraging private-sector investment in eco lodges along the River Gambia.
“The Gambia’s rich and diverse culture has been overlooked,” said Department of State for Tourism and Culture permanent secretary Ida Sallah. “We have a magnificent river that cuts across the whole country, and eight distinct ethnic groups.
Most operators currently offer inland excursions but we are going to map out specific tourism development areas upcountry and along the banks of the River Gambia,” said Sallah.
Bird watching, fishing, creek tours and visits to the Makasutu Cultural Forest – surrounded by six villages – are among the destination’s lesser-known attractions.
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