Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Abdoulie Jobe, recently led a delegation of tourism sector stakeholders to brief the Vice President of The Gambia on their state of preparedness for the upcoming 2024/2025 tourist season. The briefing, held at the Vice President’s office, focused on the critical issues affecting the tourism industry and the measures being taken to ensure a successful season.

During the meeting, Minister Jobe underscored the importance of tourism to the country’s economic growth, noting that the sector is influenced by a variety of cross-cutting issues and critical enablers. He highlighted the significance of air access and travel facilitation, particularly at the Banjul International Airport, as vital components for the smooth operation of the tourist season.

“This is imperative, given that tourism, as we are all aware, is impacted by a range of cross-cutting issues and critical enablers, including air access and travel facilitation, more so at the Banjul International Airport,” Minister Jobe stated.

The Minister expressed the need to address operational bottlenecks and barriers that could hinder the mobility of visitors between destinations. He emphasized that removing these obstacles is crucial to ensuring a seamless tourist experience.

In his briefing, Minister Jobe informed the Vice President that there has been progress in the work at Banjul International Airport, aimed at improving travel facilitation. However, he also pointed out that recent air safety inspection audits have identified specific areas that require further attention to enhance the airport’s operations.

“Though, based on the findings of the air safety inspection audit, there are pocket areas of constraint and operational bottlenecks that need fixing to create a more conducive environment for our esteemed visitors, especially the first-timers, whose numbers are increasing yearly based on annual tourism statistics reports,” he explained.

Minister Jobe assured the Vice President that his Ministry is committed to engaging in high-level consultations with key stakeholders involved in travel facilitation. These consultations aim to address all operational issues as part of the ongoing preseason activities.

Additionally, the briefing also touched on important matters such as waste management in and around the airport and the need for appropriate security measures along the airport fence.

The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to work collaboratively to ensure that The Gambia is fully prepared to welcome an increasing number of tourists in the upcoming season, fostering economic growth and enhancing the country’s reputation as a top travel destination.