The Gambia Targets North America
by Doug Gollan /The Gambia wants to be the next “it” destination for Americans, tourism minister Benjamin A. Roberts told Travel Market Report in an exclusive interview.
Last year the nation welcomed 155,000 visitors by air, down from 175,000 the year before due to the Ebola crisis, but this year The Gambia may cross the 200,000 mark. Most visitors today are Europeans who come during the winter, but for the first time, tour operators will be selling the destination all year long.
For the North American market the main draws, in addition to beach, are culture, heritage, ecotourism, and soft adventure, including bird watching and big game and river fishing. In October, the first-ever bird watching exhibition is expected to draw several hundred visitors, mostly from the U.K. The country is also host to the biannual International Roots Festival, taking place again in 2017.
Abdoulie Hydara, director general of the Gambia Tourism Board, said the reason to now target the U.S. and Canada has been the expansion of Brussels Airlines flights to North America. The flight from Brussels to The Gambia is under six hours and there are fast connections in both directions. Brussels, which is part of Lufthansa Group and of the Star Alliance, is launching Toronto-Brussels flights March 27, adding to its New York-JFK and Washington-Dulles service.
Roberts said the SN Brussels flights from Dulles open up Star Alliance connections to United Airlines, while the new Canadian flights open easy connections to the U.S. Midwest via Air Canada.
Currently there is a range of locally branded hotels and lodges, ranging from three to five stars in quality. Roberts said the next objective is to get U.S. and Canadian tour operators to create packages featuring The Gambia. Christophe Allard, director North America for Brussels Airlines, told TMR, “It’s a spectacular destination with amazing nature and friendly people, and it’s very safe for tourists.”
Pic: Kotoviski