The Gambia tourism business which has been one of many regular sectors contributing to the Gambia GDP however witnessed a setback like different sectors on account of the Covid-19 emergence, is now step by step selecting up as its variety of air arrival elevated by 15% in 2021 in comparison with the identical interval in 2020.
In line with the info, the entire variety of arrivals by air in 2021 was 102,460 a rise of 15% in comparison with 89,232 in 2020 – this is a rise in arrivals to Vacation spot Gambia for the primary time for the reason that Covid-19 pandemic.
“No less than 2021 recorded a big improve in vacationer arrivals significantly within the fourth quarter of the yr, marking the return of vacationer arrivals in Vacation spot Gambia for the previous two years 2019/2020,” Gambia Tourism Board (GTBoard) disclosed.
Regardless of the rise in arrivals within the yr beneath assessment, all of the Conventional Markets nonetheless declined by 35% (in 2021 in comparison with 2020), whereas complete arrivals from the Non-Conventional Markets recorded a progress of 89% in the identical yr in comparison with the earlier yr “aside from a couple of markets like Czech, Italy, Poland, and China, all Non-Conventional Markets elevated in arrivals in 2021.”
In vacation spot Gambia, the winter months are the height interval from November to April of every yr, from the info “arrivals within the winter season of 2021 (56,896), in comparison with 2020 winter arrivals (82,795) declined by 32%. The winter months being the height interval contributed 55% of the entire arrivals in 2021. A decline in arrivals noticed particularly in January (74%), February (79%) and March (63%) affected the entire arrivals, however however, November and December 2021 recorded a rise of 221% and 121% respectively in comparison with 2020,” per the GTBoard data.
Extra so, the summer season Months (Inexperienced Season), Might to October, accounted for 45% of complete arrivals in 2021, a big progress because the 2020 summer season interval was an entire lockdown for the vacation spot. All of the summer season months registered greater than 100% progress in 2021.
Giving a powerful assurance concerning the upcoming season, Aboubacarr Camara, the managing director of the Gambia Tourism Board (GTBoard), was upbeat concerning the upcoming winter tourism season 2022/2023 as he expressed confidence concerning the outlook. “It is like of 2019 if not higher off however not much less.”
Adama Njie, the director of Advertising and marketing, GTBoard, expressed optimism concerning the upcoming season and famous {that a} 15% improve in air arrival to the vacation spot in 2021 is an efficient quantity in comparison with earlier than Covid-19 hit the nation.
This, he stated, “is a sign that the board will not be relenting on the mandate given to them and likewise each GTBoard, Ministry of Tourism and Tradition and the stakeholders are working collectively to push the tourism arrival,” he added.
And for the winter tourism season 2022, he expressed optimism, saying even the minister of Tourism and Tradition already stated he is upbeat as a result of he had launched into an outreach mission, the feedbacks he acquired have been constructive and ‘we’ve seen the rise in scheduled flights and we are going to keep the chartered flights to exceed what we’re having earlier than,’ he added.
On Nordic Leisure Journey Group which has not been coming for the previous two years earlier than canceling operations to Gambia for the upcoming winter tourism season, he affirmed that the GTBoard would proceed to interact them to verify they arrive again to the vacation spot subsequent yr.