Profile: Challenges of The Gambia’s tourism industry

To many in The Gambia, the advent of tourism has become another source of income generation, offering employment opportunities, investment attraction, infrastructural development, a source of foreign exchange and balanced payment, combine with its multiplier effects.

But in the contrary, tourism has globally continued to impose quite a lot of challenges to destination countries such as, The Gambia. Gambia’s continuous  appeal as a tourism destination in attracting well over 100, 000 tourists annually is as well confronted with challenges such as prostitution, drug peddling and ‘bumstering’.

Prostitution is a threat to destinations across the globe and it is an open secret that tourism stimulates prostitution. In many destination countries such as South Africa, China, France, Kenya and Brazil all of which are facing this challenge, their citizens are sexually exploited, though Holland and Malaysia try to address this issue through either legalizing prostitution or creating semi-legal mechanisms that enable prostitutes to maintain comfortable standard of living and pay taxes like the normal bankers, teachers, or traders.

Invariably, prostitution is becoming eminent in destination countries such as The Gambia; though the creation of Child Protection Alliance (CPA) has boosted government’s efforts in cracking down tourist s whose main purpose of  coming here is to engage in paedophilic activities. Yet more efforts is needed to sensitise especially our dear sisters who engage in commercial sex.

These people should realize that there are numerous job opportunities in which they can engage in to make a decent living.  To the extreme the issue of prostitution has been broadcast over one German TV station RTL, a documentary about Middle aged European women who travelled to healthy black men. This does not tell well since the government is doing all it can to make the Gambia’s tourism industry attractive to other destinations.

In the same vain it should be ensured that drug peddling, which is becoming a major challenge, is overcomed. Many a time young boys and girls below the ages of 18 loiter on the beaches with European tourists making friendship with them. The fact is that these young people are vulnerable to the side effects of these drugs that they take, which could lead them to  madness, stress, the habit of stealing robbing and other banditry behaviours.

Another challenge to our destination is ‘bumstering’. Though it is a common phenomenon in many leading destinations such as Thailand, Singapore, china, Spain, Indonesia etc, the activities of bumsters in our tourism industry if not checked could adversely affect the growing potentials of our industry as many of the visiting tourists are continuously hassled, robbed or even attacked physically to dispose them off their valuables. These in the long run will slim the chances of repeaters and potential tourists, visiting The Gambia.

It is disheartening to see young boys and girls having sexual relationship with very old European tourists whom most often are of  to the same ages with their grandparents. This portrays a negative image of our growing tourism industry. It is the collective responsibility of all to ensure the sustainability of tourism in The Gambia, bridging the gap between the tourists and the host so that both can reap the benefit of tourism, as tourism contributes 15% of our Gross Domestic Products (GDP). The need to treasure this industry is paramount.

Stakeholders in their quest to make The Gambia examplary among tourism destinations are tasked to sensitise and strategise means of combating the challenges of prostitution, drug peddling and the bumster menace in our tourism sector. This will ensure that all are conscious of our responsibilities towards the sustainability of tourism in The Gambia. For the youths, please do realize that the government has invested more than enough in the tourism sector so that all can engage in meaningful economic activities to earn our living.

The introduction of the official tourism guides, is an avenue to tap decent employment. Moreover, many institutions are out there for the youths to equip themselves in studying tourism disciplines for them to develop their talents in many areas such s craftmanships, cooks, waiters, room attendants, resort representatives, tourist guides, the list goes on; rather than involving in prostitution, drug peddling and ‘bumstering’.

This is the way forward to ensure the sustainability of our tourism sector and concerted efforts are necessary to treasure this multi-million dollar industry.