By Lamin Njie
The Ministry of Tourism and Culture in collaboration with the National Centre for Arts and Culture last week held its first inaugural stakeholders meeting to better prepare ahead of the annual Banjul New Year Cultural Festival events, at the conference room of the Ministry in Banjul.
The Banjul New Year Festival is one of the most popular events organised yearly from December to January, attracting thousands of Gambians and non-Gambians locally and internationally.
The meeting centered on how to better organise the event including how to handle the crowd, traffic, and the hunting groups.
Speaking at the event, Honorable Abdoulie Jobe, Minister of Tourism and Culture reminded the stakeholders of the importance of culture, noting that no society can develop without culture.
He further stated that The Gambia is a tourism destination and it is during this time of the year that most tourists would want to come for holidays including Gambians in the diaspora.
“Therefore, it is important that we prepare, plan, and meet monthly ahead of December so that the event can be well-staged and free from troubles,” he stated.
The Minister informed the gathering that his Ministry will continue to support the event to make it the best while commending the organisers of the previous events for their support and determination in ensuring that it was successfully held.
