Gambia To Host Africa’s World Tourism Congress

The Republic of Gambia will host the Africa Tourist Association’s (ATA) 35th Annual Congress in its capital city of Banjul in May 2010. “It is with great pride that we are once again partnering with ATA to invite the world to visit and explore The Gambia,” said Gambia’s Minister of Tourism and Culture, the Honorable Nancy Seedy Njie. “The Gambian government places great priority on tourism, which has contributed significantly to our country’s growth and stability. We hope that the ATA Congress will help us continue to promote our country in new marketplaces and attract new investment in the sector.”

The Gambia, known as the “Smiling Coast of Africa,” is situated on the West side of the continent. It is the smallest African country on the mainland, and shares borders with Senegal to the north, east, and south. Comparatively, the Gambia is slightly smaller than the island of Jamaica, and less than twice the size of Delaware. It is known for many luxurious beach resorts, quaint fishing villages and magnificent coastline. 

The nation bills itself as an “affordable and safe west African country, which includes peaceful and friendly people, eco-tourism, sports fishing, bird watching and safaris, music, dancing and traditional wrestling matches, and the opportunity to visit trans-Atlantic slave trade sites.”

Statue of the Unknown Soldier

The ATA’s congress in Gambia will be attended by African tourism ministers and industry experts representing tourism boards, travel agencies, ground operator companies, airlines, and hotels, including participants from the travel trade media and the corporate, non profit, and academic sectors. 

The four-day event will focus on engaging delegates in discussions on a range of industry topics, such as “public-private sector partnership, marketing and promotion, tourism infrastructure development, industry trends, and social media.”

Among other events planned are a networking reception for young professionals in the tourism industry, and a marketplace for buyers and sellers specializing in Destination Africa to interact and do business. Delegates to the Congress are invited to explore Gambia prior or after the ATA event, all aimed at experiencing the opportunities that the country has to offer.

Approximately 120,000 charter tourists, mainly from Europe, arrive annually to the Gambia. Its tourism Ministry plans to attract 500,000 arrivals by 2012, by targeting the United States and the luxury tourism market, and by lengthening the tourist season to all-year round. Both the public and private sectors are working to increase its accommodation stock, and currently, a new conference center is being built.

The Gambia has a population of approximately 1,782,893 people. It has a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of approximately $2.264 billion, of which the travel and tourism economy account for 16%. Its form of government is that of a Republic.

While Gambians are free to practice whatever religion they choose, most are Muslins (90%), Christians (8%), and others (2%). The official language of the country is English. 
About the Africa Travel Association (ATA)

The Africa Travel Association (ATA) was established as an international travel industry trade association in 1975. ATA’s mission is to promote travel, tourism, and transport to and within Africa and to strengthen intra-Africa partnerships. As the world’s premier travel industry trade association, ATA provides services to a broad range of members including: tourism, Diaspora, culture, sports ministers, tourism boards, airlines, hoteliers, travel agents, tour operators, travel trade media, public relations firms, consulting companies, non-profit organizations, businesses, small- and medium-sized enterprises, and other organizations engaged in tourism promotion.