The UK travel company Thomas Cook’s bankruptcy has put the travel business in Africa in a tailspin. Most of the flights to and from African destinations were cancelled. The impact was more felt in the West African nation-Gambia- since a sizeable number of the people of that country earn their livelihood from tourism industry – from hoteliers, taxi drivers to workers connected with the winter holiday season, which is November to March.
Statistics are revealing. Thomas Cook flew in 45% of holidaymakers during the season. Tourism accounts for more than 20% of the nation’s GDP of US$1.6 billion. The industry is in such a trajectory that 35% of workers in the tourism sector are at the threat of losing their jobs. This is the figure dished out by the government agencies, while analysts say that percentage could be more, if one takes into account the people indirectly employed in the tourism sector.
Not that the government has thrown the hands in despair staring at this unfortunate situation. The government has formed a strategic response unit with local stakeholders, and teams from the World Bank, the IMF, and the European Union, to address the issue at the earliest and to bail out the debt ridden economy.
The tourists inflow are mainly from the UK (30%). The other countries, which contribute to the tourism growth in the country are the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany and Nigeria. Over 209,000 people visited Africa’s smallest nation last year, which has a population of little over 2.1m.
