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.        

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