Talk of The Gambia usually prompts thoughts of sand, sea and sun, and this small West African country has all this in droves.
Although The Gambia is still overwhelmingly a leisure destination, mainly driven by the package tourism industry, the country’s draw as a business destination looks set to increase with the opening of a five star Sheraton Hotel in April.
The country is also promoting cultural tourism as a valid reason to hop on the relatively short six-hour flight, which, unusually, comes without jet lag.
With a population of 1.5m, The Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa. Covering only 11,300sq kilometres, it’s home to eight, mostly Muslim, groups which are well known for living harmoniously. The traditional, main tourist spots – including Kololi, Kotu, Fajara and Bakau – lie along the 25-mile stretch of coastline.
The Gambia Experience, the UK’s only specialist tour operator to the country, carries around 35,000 passengers a year to the country, out of a total 65,000 international visitors.
The tour company, which launched in 1997, features 22 hotels in its portfolio – and will soon offer holidays to the 5-star Sheraton Gambia Hotel Resort & Spa, opening this month (April). Targeting business and leisure customers alike, the hotel will boast a 600-sq m ballroom, eight meeting rooms, seven suites and a spa and fitness centre.
Paul Kenny, commercial manager for The Gambia Experience, says The Sheraton – with its convention and meeting facilities – will put the country more on the map as somewhere to do business.
He says: “Lots of conventions take place in The Gambia, but they are largely African-based. This new hotel will broaden the appeal of the country from a business perspective and the fact that the country hosted the African Unity Conference last year will also help to raise awareness among the business community.”
Most tourists, however, head for The Gambia for guaranteed sunshine, says Kenny, and rain is unheard of between November and June. The country tends to attract consumers with reasonably high disposable income due to the plethora of mid-to-high end hotels along the cost.
Kenny explains: “Somewhere like Coconut Residence is marketed at the very high end of the spectrum; as an example, the King of Morocco stayed there recently. There is the same service, food and accommodation as you’d find in the Caribbean, but for less money.”
Kenny adds that lack of language barrier is another draw: as an ex-English colony, the language is widely spoken, and appeals to tourists looking for something more adventurous than another Spanish Costa.
Sustainable tourism has been a focus for The Gambia since 2004, when the forthcoming Makasutu and Ballabu Conservation projects won The British Guild of Travel Writers’ Overseas Tourism Award.
The 85sq km conservation area incorporates 14 Gambian villages, each with a community forest park and some form of industry such as eco lodges, recycling parks or agriculture. Aimed at alleviating poverty, the project will be 100% community owned, with profits ploughed back into community development projects in the form of renewable energy, education and healthcare.
Situated on a 1,000-acre reserve on a small tributary off the River Gambia, visitors can opt for one of three Jungle Lodges, four Floating Lodges or one Stilted Lodge.
As with any country, there are factors to watch out for, Kenny says – notably, a degree of hassle from hawkers selling to tourists. According to one study, almost 70 percent of tourists will not return to the country because of the hassle. However, a new security committee has been formulated to tackle the issue and although visitors should expect a degree of hassle, they shouldn’t be bothered unduly.
Other hiccups, such as a variable supply of electricity (although hotels get round that problem by generating their own power) can also be expected – but again, this is part of excitement and challenge of visiting and African country.
Tourist board literature also cites the country’s friendly people and set of traditional Islamic greetings (such as salaam aliekum, or peace be with you, sometimes expressed in French or English) as tourist draws.
Indigenous culture is also topping the Gambian authorities’ promotional list: craft markets outside the main hotels are laden with carvings, antique masks, hand woven fabrics, leatherwork and jewellery. Haggling over the prices is all part of the fun, and an activity that tourists usually join in with happily.
Traditional dance and music feature in and around the country’s hotels: most offer regular nightly entertainment with local musicians and dancers, and drumming or dancing lessons can often be arranged! The best known of the string instruments is the 21-string harp, the Kora, also used in Senegal and Guinea.
Still on the subject of culture, the ten-day Roots International Festival in early June encompasses an African artefacts trade fare, musical performances from artists around the continent, as well as visits to the Albreda slavery museum.
East Africa, especially the planes of Kenya and Tanzania, are better known for the plethora of wildlife to be seen. Not to be outdone, the Gambia Tourism Authority is pushing the country’s own eco opportunities: the country’s six national parks and reserves cover 3.7 percent of the land area, and have been set aside to protect habitat types and fauna.
Tourists who come to The Gambia expecting to see the Big Game of East Africa are likely to be disappointed – there simply isn’t the same scope for elephant or lion-watching. Other opportunities for wildlife-spotting do exist, however – such as trips to Chimpanzee Island: a facility dedicated to rehabilitating chimpanzees.
Chimps, along with bird life, hippos and crocodiles, can be observed from boats.
Most visitors, however, will always come to The Gambia when the long winter months at home are at their coldest and darkest, lured by the guaranteed sunshine, good tourist facilities and chance to experience something a little different from Europe’s well-trodden resorts.
