(3 minutes read)
- Gambia, a country used to be frequented by tourists, now wearing a deserted look. Ever since Covid-19 cases started rising, tourists seem to have left the enchanting beaches of the west African country
- The tourist season has been on since October; but the deserted roads and beaches tell a different story
- That pinches the pockets of the local population, who used to rake up revenues during the season to fend for themselves in the rest of the season.
Gambia, a country used to be frequented by tourists, now wearing a deserted look. Ever since Covid-19 cases started rising, tourists seem to have left the enchanting beaches of the west African country.
The tourist season has been on since October. But the deserted roads and beaches tell a different story. That pinches the pockets of the local population, who used to rake up revenues during the season to fend for themselves in the rest of the season. The sad commentary is that there is no respite from that shock immediately because of the surfacing of Omicron, which forced many countries to cancel their flights to most of the destinations in Africa including Gambia.
Though tourist flow improved after Covid, it is still 25% of the traffic that was there before the pandemic. Most of the hotels and restaurants are empty. The present travel restrictions have made things slip from bad to worse, without any reprieve in sight, aver hoteliers and tour operators.
In 2019, tourism contributed 30 percent of the country’s GDP. But,analysts feel that it could be less than 20% presently. Now, the tourism authorities in the country realize that depending on the western tourists only has been a lop-sided policy. Gambia should have focused on tourists from the African countries as well, they say. They are working out strategies for tapping that market.
In absolute terms, tourist arrivals have fallen from more than 235,000 in 2019 to less than 90,000 in 2020. Over 19% of tourism related businesses have been closed.
