Tourism- A paradigm shift and product diversification

Last night I had a sumptuous dinner amidst good company of friends at my favorite spot in the Gambia- Coco Ocean Spa and Resort. One of Gambia’s priced hospitality real estate was literally a ghost town and begged for human interaction and economic activity. Once I made my observation, a passionate and heated discourse ensued regarding the dwindling and lack luster tourist arrival statistics. Some of my friends were upbeat and optimistic as usual hoping that the next season will be better and the Ebola scare will wane off sooner than later. I opined that the Ebola scare that has dented our economic growth for 2014-2015 tourist season is a blessing in disguise for our tourism product offering. My premise on face value sound reckless and devoid of merit but the tourism sector is screaming for a U-turn in market approach and focus.

This U-turn is called product diversification and the sooner we venture in diversifying our product the better. Economic and business principles advocate for product diversification as means to smoothen out the ebb and flow of the business cycle. In the early 1960’s, the Gambia accidentally stumbled into winter tourism through Bertil Harding and thereafter, we carved a niche in the Scandinavian and British markets. These markets have been the corner stone of what we call our tourism trade and in a way, it has added significant value in our GDP over the years. Our winter bird arrivals are mostly senior citizens who are looking for a place to spend a week or two in the winter months. We are cognizant of the fact that UK and other populations in the European Union have been encountering economic slowdown since 2007 and this consequently affected our arrival rates negatively. This coupled with the Ebola scare is a justification to diversify our product offering and target audience. Africa’s growth and prosperity will only be achieved if we look inward. The time has come for the Gambia to develop intra country and regional tourism. Affluent and middle class Gambians travel to Western Europe, North America and the Emirates for their summer vacations and periodically on weekends to Senegal. Their actions collectively cause significant capital flight albeit voluntarily. The hotel industry should cater to this segment of society and spur local tourism. Our heritage and culture is also another priced asset that’s undervalued. Diasporans of African origin will love to pay pilgrimage to places such as James Island, Juffureh and Georgetown slave house but this can only be achieved through deliberate and target oriented marketing. Regional tourism is also a product to be explored. Countries such as Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Nigeria and Ghana are candidates due to the considerable amount of petro dollars in the hands of their elites. All this can be made possible with reliable air connectivity and competitive pricing. The recipe therefore calls for a public/private mix where public policy creates the environment for such a vision to thrive and this starts with review on taxation and concession for infrastructure enhancement and development in the sector. The Smiling Coast is resilient and will forever smile despite adversity and mishaps.  Our sun, sea and sand together with our warm hospitality create a contagious bug that lure people to our shores. The slogan “Gambia No Problem” should be effaced from our lexicon as soon as possible and we work on vibrant and resilient brand that is tenacious and buoyant.