By Tabora Bojang
The director general of the Gambia Tourism Board Abubacarr Camara has disclosed that some 232,000 tourists are expected to visit Gambia this season which opens tomorrow with the arrival of the first tourist flight.
According to DG Camara, speaking at the Gambia Government press conference yesterday, a total of 57 flights will be coming to Banjul per week starting from November, including 33 scheduled flights and 24 chartered flights.
The director disclosed that Corendon Airlines from Holland will operate 3 flights per week, TUI UK 4, Gambia Experience 3, TUI Holland 3, TUI Belgium 2, Tap Air Portugal 3, Rainbow Air 3, Vueling Airlines 3 and Scandinavian tour operator Apollo, 3 flights per week with tourists from Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
On the part of scheduled flights, Camara said Air Peace will be operating 3 flights per week, Brussels Airline 5, ASKY 7, Air Senegal 8, Royal Air Maroc 7 and Turkish Airlines 3 flights per week.
Though following the departure of FTI from the Gambian market in 2020, tourists from Germany have been few and a bit, DG Camara said they have now agreed with TUI to use third party carriers to bring 1000 German tourists to the Gambia for this season.
“We have also partnered with Nova Tours to bring tourists from Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia and their first flight will be arriving on 1st November and they are going to bring about 600 tourists from these new markets. We are appealing to all Gambians to support us to ensure these tourists enjoy a very good holiday,” DG Camara urges.
Controversial airport levy
The compulsory $20 security levy imposed on all departing and arriving passengers has been a concern for tourists and tourism stakeholders since its introduction by government a few years ago.
In 2022, a Scandinavian tour operator Nordic Travel Leisure Group, suspended its operations in the Gambia citing setbacks in the industry including Covid-19, and “exorbitant” passenger levies at the Banjul airport.
Asked if the GT Board is equally concerned with this levy and its potentials to hamper tourism arrivals, DG Camara replied; “Yes, a lot of people are concerned about it but I think it is a government policy and since we [GT Board] are a public institution, I don’t think we can comment on that.Some tour operators are complaining about it but we are telling them that it is a government policy and the best we can do is to find ways to reduce the congestion and the queuing that the tax is creating.”
