Between 2014 and 2019, tourism in The Gambia boomed, growing from 156,000 visitors to 620,000 tourists. In 2020, due to covid-19, this rate dropped to 246,000 tourists. With the support of partners, the authorities want to reactivate the sector.

The Gambia will benefit from $68 million from the World Bank to boost tourism. The announcement was made by the Bank on June 13, through a press release published on its website.

This funding, spanning a five-year period, aims to “address selected/identified key barriers in the Gambia tourism ecosystem, to ensure that the sector realizes its potential as a source of sustainable and inclusive growth.”

It also aims to diversify the sector by “strengthening and improving infrastructure to better preserve existing assets by being more resilient to the impacts of threats and climate change, as well as improving the attractiveness of tourist sites and promoting economic development.”

Since 2020, tourism, which had been on an upward curve for at least five years, has experienced a considerable decline. In fact, out of 620,000 visitors in 2019, The Gambia recorded only 246,000 the following year. This drop affected the Gambian economy which stagnated in 2020.

Source: EcomNewsAfrique