I just read this news item - and given proportionality, Toursism could also rake in massive profits  for the Gambia:

http://www.nationmedia.com/eastafrican/current/Business/Business1311066.htm
> 
> From: Edie Sidibeh <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: 2006/11/19 sö PM 05:57:22 CET
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Ämne: Re: REFLECTIONS ON THE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN IN THE GAMBIA
> 
> Brother Tejan,
>    
>   I will be glad if you send them on the forum not private mail. This is because I dislike hidden agenda but transparency. This does not my private property alone but the whole Gambian and therefore I insist you sending it private.
>    
>   Thanks for your understanding and by the way, I know that promise is a comfort for a fool
> 
> Tejan Nyang <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>   Bro Edie ,
> Thanks for your suggestions on the development of
> tourism in The Gambia . Let me assure you that most of
> the things you mentioned have been done with the scope
> of the Tourism Development Master Plan . I will send
> you a private mail later .
> Chi Jamma ,
> Bro Sheikh Tejan 
> --- Edie Sidibeh wrote:
> 
> > Dear readers, 
> > 
> > This is my humble opinion for tourism development
> > in the Gambia and bumster syndrome problems
> > 
> > 
> > The Gambia could be more richer destination choice
> > as far as tourism is concern. The prove to this is
> > the nature of the country and Her people who are
> > naturally kind and helpful as well as the abundance
> > historical and diverse cultural nature that can be
> > develop to suit the international tourism
> > competitive edge. It is said that, eating the same
> > kind of food every day is boring as well as seeing
> > the same animals in nature reserve of abuko is
> > boring and can deter the return of repeated tourist.
> > In the historical perspectives, the man like Alhaji
> > Bamba Bojang and his legacy can be put in display in
> > Brikama as well as Kumbusora in Sutukung just to
> > name few. If Kanili is able to get different kinds
> > of animal, where does that left the nature reserve? 
> > If Banjul has a reason to be named Banjul, what is
> > the reason behind that? Words only are not enough
> > but images included will be a winner, because if
> > words alone are enough, tourism will hang itself,
> > but because seeing is the
> > believing as some said, as well as experience is
> > the best teacher, makes tourism more attractive. 
> > 
> > With an expected rate of +10.6% for 2006, Africa
> > is this year again the world�s regional leader in
> > terms of growth. Between January and August
> > international tourist arrivals increased by 9.8%.
> > Sub-Saharan Africa (+12.6%) leads the performance
> > so far, pulled notably by South Africa, Kenya,
> > Mozambique, Swaziland and the Seychelles. At the
> > same time, in North Africa (+5.9%), the two main
> > destinations, Morocco (+9.3%) and Tunisia (+2.6%),
> > have experienced somewhat different growth paces. 
> > Sources: WTO news letter November 6 2006
> > 
> > Now, where is Gambia in this picture? Why can�t
> > she attract as much tourist as these competitors?
> > What are they (the competitors) doing differently?
> > These are some of the external Threats. And from the
> > knowledge of the above questions can earn a vital
> > tool to substitute or minimize the threat to
> > opportunities. What are we doing wrong? How should
> > our internal marketing structure be developed? (Are
> > our employees interacting properly?) (How about the
> > information flow)? Is everyone getting the right
> > updated information?) Should we restructure our
> > marketing campaign? How to develop the existing
> > products to correlate to the existing market desire
> > (brainstorming)? Knowing these influential factors
> > will clear the way to the knowledge of the internal
> > weaknesses and from the knowledge of these internal
> > weaknesses more Strengths can be build upon testing
> > if possible restructuring the liabilities. For
> > example, distributing fliers and visiting countries
> > or featuring Gambia in CNN
> > will be more affective if questionnaires are
> > distributed and feedbacks are achieved then the
> > result can be compared and record for the future
> > changes, �if� there are more negative responses
> than
> > positive ones. In this way you can get the
> > knowledge of success on; whether the message was
> > understood? What were the reactions of the viewer?
> > How many people show or received the promotional
> > messages etc?
> > 
> > The duty of tourism marketing department is to
> > effectively use the knowledge gain from market
> > intelligence to your marketing strategies as follow:
> > 
> > 1. Identification and analyzes of tourism
> > marketing trends; people�s lifestyle / what they
> > prefer doing during their free times etc to use
> > these information to your advantage of providing
> > similar activities for your resort. 
> > 2. Increasing knowledge on specific
> > marketing segments especially, ones with fast
> > growing trends; In the case of The Gambia, European
> > markets as well, American market.
> > 
> > 
> > In the area of tourism promotion:
> > � Develop benchmarking between the
> National
> > Tourism Administrations or Organizations just as I
> > said above on getting the knowledge on your threats.
> > Compare functionalities to that of your competitors
> > � Define ways and mean to maximize the
> > effectiveness and return on tourism promotional
> > activities. For example, traveling to London will
> > never be productive without proper definition and
> > preparation on the knowledge about the people and
> > their lifestyles as well as the channeling strategy
> > (who to talk to, and were to meet them, and how to
> > contact them).
> > 
> > Presenting historical and unique opportunity for
> > scaling up efforts to tackle the worst incidences of
> > human depravation particularly in the tourism
> > industry, regarding so called �Bumster� syndrome
> > never seized to amaze me. I think, the problem is
> > more political than reality and therefore, the
> > problem should be looked into strategically as one
> > of the main sources of retaining the tourism
> > benefits in the country to helping the locals.
> > However, if my mind served me well, quotation from
> > Mr. Adam Bah�s research, over 50% of the tourist
> > preferred going with the local guides known as the
> > �Bumster�. 
> > 
> > This however, shows the clear picture of what they
> > (the tourist) preferred to mingle with during their
> > holidays. On the other hand, the trend will not be
> > encouraged but discouraged by those foreign travel
> > agents and as a result, colliding with our security
> > and other stake holders to disallow their own sons
> > and daughters from the tourist areas. Besides, how
> > do they expect the tourist to interact with the
> > locals if there are barriers as such; all inclusive
> > which keep the tourist in the hotel, and no go area
> > for the locals to interact with visitors? I am
> > positive that it is not all visitors who will love
> > to spend all their holiday time among themselves,
> > then they rather stay home, the reason is however,
> > far beyond that, but going out to meet indigenous
> > people and their culture preferably with the host
> > own people who happens to be the local guides but to
> > make them ugly they call them bummers (locally
> > bumsters). 
> > 
> > During the entertainment in the hotels after the
> > arrival, tour operators will tell the tourist to be
> > well aware of the local guides and their harmful
> > manners of rubbery and refusal of educating
> > themselves but loitering around the hotels begging
> > and looking for victims. This is just to frighten
> > the tourist so as to feed their own egos of rubbing
> > the tourism wealth back to their countries of
> > original. Beggars are in every country as well as
> > criminal and Gambia should not be exceptional. What
> > these people needed is education on their
> > interactions with the tourist as well as
> > responsibilities. Again, the saying goes like, �If
> > you however give a responsibility of your house to a
> > known thief, nothing will be missing during your
> > absence�. But blaming them and chasing them will
> > make them wild and uncontrollable. Some of these
> > people have gone as far as grade 12 and wanted
> > further education abroad which their parent cannot
> > afford, but, meeting a woman or good tourist
> > families can
> > be a success to your ambitions as well as a long
> > run success for the country having another graduate
> > at a brink. 
> > 
> > The tourists are well awared of the fact that, it
> > is cheaper using the locals than the travel agent,
> > hence there is a fix price with excursion whiles
> > bargain is possible with the local guides resulting
> > to long term benefits sometimes for the entire
> > family of the host as well as the visitor. Why will
> > the youths spoil the industry where they are earning
> > their livings? If these people are given
> > responsibilities to watch out for bad people among
> > them and report to the authority, as well giving
> > them the chaces to introduce themselves to the
> > tourist as local guides and with their own
> > erpresentator's voice during the information period,
> > to giving assurance to the tourist on their safety
> > with them in-order to build trust. 
> > 
> > Again, will they take the risk to travel by boats
> > if they can get the easy channel by helping tourism
> > if given chances to develop and work on their
> > dreams? On the other hand, the security officers who
> > are chasing the youths out of the tourism areas are
> > looking for the same opportunity and it will be
> > easier for them via the absence of the beach boys
> > who are not depending on any other incomes but
> > guiding tourism. The beach boys know each, and so
> > been the case, if they are given the
> > responsibilities to save their earnings by policing
> > the safety of the tourist, crime will be limited and
> > therefore, everyone will be happy. Just a lousy
> > opinion on the issue. 
> > 
> > This is my contribution to the wellbeing of the
> > industry, as well as the benefit to the sufferers.
> > Tourism should be able to benefit the indigenous
> > inhabitance not foreigners as it seems to be. 
> > Finally, I am extending my heartfelt gratitude to
> > the GTA for their hard work to making the difference
> > in the industry. 
> > 
> > Send instant messages to your online friends
> > http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com 
> > 
> > 
> === message truncated ===
> 
> 
> 
> 
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