By Lamin Njie
A Senegalese tourism delegation has concluded a week-long familiarisation tour of The Gambia, gaining first-hand experience of the country’s tourism attractions and services as part of efforts to promote Destination Gambia to the Senegalese market.
During the tour, the delegation visited a number of key tourism sites and experienced the country’s beaches, birdwatching attractions, cultural heritage and hospitality.
The visit is expected to provide the Senegalese travel trade with a better understanding of what The Gambia has to offer, enabling them to confidently market and package the destination to potential travellers in Senegal.
The initiative also seeks to promote The Gambia and Senegal as a combined tourism experience, allowing visitors to explore the attractions of both neighbouring countries as part of a single travel itinerary.
Tourism stakeholders say the initiative is an example of growing regional cooperation between the two countries, which share close historical, cultural and geographical ties, as well as a common coastline.
They believe stronger collaboration between the tourism industries of The Gambia and Senegal could help increase tourist flows between the two countries and strengthen the sub-regional tourism corridor.
The familiarisation tour comes against the backdrop of recent efforts by Gambian tourism authorities to deepen cooperation with Senegal and position The Gambia as a leading Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) and sub-regional tourism destination.
Not long ago, a Gambian delegation led by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, together with the Director General of the Gambia Tourism Board, held two key engagements in Senegal aimed at strengthening bilateral tourism cooperation.
As part of the engagements, the Gambian delegation met with SOGIP, Senegal’s state infrastructure management company, to explore opportunities for joint hosting of major events, including wrestling, football, music and fashion.
The discussions also covered knowledge-sharing in event planning, destination marketing and other areas that could contribute to the development of the region’s tourism and events sectors.
The Gambian delegation further highlighted the recent second-place finish by Djeliba Leisure Group in a competitive event bid in Senegal, describing the achievement as an indication of the growing interest and confidence in Destination Gambia.
Stakeholders are hopeful that continued collaboration between the two countries will open new opportunities for tourism businesses, increase visitor arrivals and contribute to the development of a stronger and more competitive West African tourism destination.
