BANJUL, Sept. 26 (Xinhua/GNA) – Gambia’s
tourism season is set to begin in October but fear has gripped the industry
since Thomas Cook, one of the leading airlines and tour operators in the world,
announced it would cease operations due to bankruptcy.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority has informed
that Thomas Cook Group has ceased trading with immediate effect, with all
flights and holidays cancelled around the world, including Gambia.
The tourism sector contributes about 30
percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). According to Gambia’s
tourism ministry, the highest arrival of tourists on record was in December
2018 when it recorded over 219,000 international tourists.
Over 50 percent of tourists came from the
United Kingdom on Thomas Cook flights, while the rest came from other parts of
Europe, including Scandinavia.
“It’s really very sad, difficult and
untimely news to hear that the flight agency is facing bankruptcy. It’s
untimely because it is only a few days away before we enter a new annual
tourism season. A great number of tourists come from the United Kingdom and
this always has a very positive impact on our economy directly. Undoubtedly,
this is not good news for us,” Isatou Jatta, a restaurant worker near
Senegambia, a tourist attraction center, told Xinhua.
She said she would feel the pinch directly
as a local restaurant worker because this was the time when her business
flourished as tourists admired and bought her locally prepared foods.
Ebrima Jobe is a frequent beach visitor and
he enjoys interacting with tourists from different countries at this time. He
told Xinhua he would miss his old friends from Europe.
“Some already told me that they will
not come this year if this situation remains unchanged. Not that Thomas Cook is
a UK company, according to my friends, it is the cheapest and that’s why they
feel convenient with it,” he said.
“We are to embark on an emergency risk
assessment meeting this afternoon to ascertain the damage this development will
cost Gambia’s tourism industry. Of course, it’s a very serious issue at hand
but I can only talk to you in detail once we are done with our meeting,”
Abdoulie Hydara, director general of Gambia’s Tourism Board, told Xinhua on
Tuesday.
A hotel manager and partner of Thomas Cook
in Gambia, Malleh Sallah, said the collapse was not only a big blow to Gambian
hotels, but to the country as well.
“Thomas Cook brings almost half of all
the tourists in this country each year and phasing out from the market means a
great loss to this country,” Sallah said.
He added that Thomas Cook was a major player
in the tourism industry that supplied guests to nearly all the hotels in the
country.
“Of course, the ceasing of operations
by Thomas Cook is a big blow to our tourism industry, looking at the number of
employment opportunities it created for Gambians and for the mere fact that the
tourism season is just around the corner,” Sallah said.
The West African nation that sits on the
coast of the Atlantic Ocean is a popular destination for international tourists
due to the beauty of its beaches, culture and historical sites.
GNA
