The Collapse of Thomas Cook
Its impact on Gambian Tourism...
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According to reports from the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of The Gambia, over two hundred thousand tourists made it to The Gambia in the 2018/19 season and over 50 percent of them came from the United Kingdom on Thomas Cook flights, while the rest came from other parts of Europe, including Scandinavia. Even though the Dutch, Scandinavians, Germans and Belgians are known for visiting Gambia, English tourists make the larger number. It is no doubt that the collapse of this one time, reliable and consistent partner is going impact direly on the country’s economy and businesses within the industry.
The Ministry of Tourism and Culture issued a press release describing the situation as “shocking and sad”. According to the release, the Tourism ministry convened an emergency meeting with the stakeholders including the International Monetary Fund, the European Union, the World Bank and the Ministry of Finance to devise a strategic response. The release further stated that the meeting came up with an Emergency esponse Team which recommended a strategy to immediately mitigate the shock on the job market and the impact on the overall economic situation of the country.
The Tourism Minister Hon. Hamat Bah said the government, working with its partners, has since developed modalities to increase the frequency of flights to Destination-Gambia by other carriers as a direct measure to minimise the impact of Thomas Cook’s collapse on the Gambian tourism market. Mr. Bah however assured stakeholders and the general public of normalising the situation and the hindrance may not be as serious as expected. According to an online Gambian newspaper“Gambia
The Gambia is one of the most popular tourist destinations in West Africa and thirty percent of the country’s gross domestic product comes from the tourism industry. The season which starts mid October and runs down to around the end of April every year, is described as lucrative for tour operators, hoteliers, small-scaled enterprises and tourist guides within the industry. But the collapse and liquidation of the major tour airline and operator Thomas Cook, has left the State, partners and in the tourism sector in limbo and in state distraught.
and sad”. According to the release, the Tourism ministry convened an emergency meeting with
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Business & FInance
by Pa Modou Faal