The Gambia Tourism Board (GTBoard) is intensifying efforts to attract more visitors from Senegal by engaging the Collective des Acteurs du Tourisme au Sénégal (CATS) – travel agents and tour operators with firsthand experience of the country’s tourism products.
Speaking in an interview after a daylong business-to-business (B2B) networking event with members of the CATS and Gambian tourism stakeholders recently held at the African Princess Hotel, Ida Jeng Njie, GTBoard Director General, described the initiative as crucial to strengthening tourism cooperation between The Gambia and Senegal.
She said the five-day education familiarisation visit was designed to enable the Senegalese tourism professionals, who play an important role in selling Senegal to international visitors, to experience The Gambia’s tourism products firsthand so they can confidently market the destination to their clients.
“Before you can sell any product, you need to know the product,” the GTBoard Director General said, explaining that the initiative brought together the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, the GTBoard and other tourism stakeholders to showcase the country’s attractions and tourism offerings.
According to her, while some of the visiting tour operators had already been selling The Gambia, they acknowledged that they had previously done so without having sufficient firsthand knowledge of the destination.
The familiarisation visit, she said, provides them with direct experience and accurate information about the country’s tourism products, enabling them to better advise their clients and promote the destination.
DG Njie noted that the initiative would also allow the tour operators to develop tailor-made packages combining The Gambia and Senegal, thereby promoting the two countries as a multi-destination tourism experience.
“This has a lot of added value for the destination because it is not only exposing our products, but it is also an avenue to increase our visitor numbers,” she said.
She explained that multi-destination tourism is becoming increasingly popular among travellers, making cooperation between The Gambia and Senegal particularly important.
“Just going to Senegal alone is not an advantage to somebody seeking to do multi-destination. But selling The Gambia and Senegal will give them a good opportunity to sell multi-destination,” she added.
The GTBoard Director General further said the familiarisation programme was also an opportunity to introduce the Senegalese operators – Collective des Acteurs du Tourisme au Sénégal (CATS) to upcoming events in The Gambia, which could subsequently be incorporated into holiday packages for their clients.
She described the initiative as a “win-win” situation, saying Senegalese tour operators would gain additional products to offer their customers, while The Gambia would benefit from increased visitor arrivals.
Njie also highlighted the importance of repeat visitors to the Senegalese tourism market, noting that offering them new destinations and experiences could help tour operators retain their existing clientele.
She said many repeat visitors traditionally travel to Senegal, but introducing The Gambia as an additional destination could provide them with a different experience while expanding the range of products available to tour operators.
Lamin Njie
Communications Officer
Ministry of Tourism, Arts And Culture
