Mr. Sanyang, Give credit where it is due. The Minister was in Oslo (Norway), not Sweden! Momodou S Sidibeh ----- Original Message ----- From: "Alieu Sanyang" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Friday, August 04, 2006 11:36 PM Subject: Re: SPEECH DELIVERED BY HON SUSAN WAFFA OGOO AT THE OSLO 20TH CULTURAL WEEK > Mr. Nyang, > Thanks for updating us on the Cultural week. I am very impressed with how > much maturity is shown by Gambians in Sweden to have a Gambian government > official visit you and address the group. Mostly, they are met with > insults and a few disgruntled of us. > I hope this can be foot steps for the rest of the Diaspora to follow. I > wish you all the best and hope you guys have a very successful cultural > week celebrations. > > Alieu > > Tejan Nyang <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > KEY NOTE ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE SECRETARY OF STATE > FOR TOURISM AND CULTURE ON "THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT > OF TOURISM ON THE GAMBIA" > > The Chairman, > Members of the Gambian Association > Friends of the Gambia > Distinguish Ladies and Gentlemen > > I have the singular honor and pleasure to be > Associated with this august gathering as it accords me > the golden opportunity to share some pertinent > Thoughts with you on this very important theme:! The > Impact of tourism on the socio-economic development of > The Gambia.! > > > Mr. Chairman I will like to first of all give a little > Background as to how tourism started in The Gambia. > A Swedish national by the name of Bertil Harding > Together with Vingresser, in 1965, brought 300 Swedish > visitors to The Gambia. They marketed The Gambia as an > exotic sun and beach resort where rich Swedes could > spend the European winter months to escape from the > cold. The months of October to April were considered > to be appropriate for tourism. By 1966-67 tourist > arrivals increased by 100 percent. The Government of > the Gambia, which at that time, relied mainly on the > groundnut crop to earn foreign exchange, saw the need > to exploit the foreign exchange earning capacity of > the tourism sector. Hence by 1970, the Government > designated 1000 meters of the Gambia's beach as the > Tourism Development Area (TDA). This development led > To the increase of hotel beds from 162 in 1965/66 to > 300 beds in 1970/71. The number of visitors increased > from 300 tourists in 1965/66 to 2600 visitors in > 1970/71. However, because the country was not a major > destination, it did not attract much foreign direct > investment. Tourism was seen mainly as a government > enterprise. There were few hotels and these were built > through government investment, with partnership from > investors such as the Commonwealth Development > Cooperation and Vingressor. > > This initiative brought interest and later gave rise > To the development of hotels through the involvement > Of the private sector. Realizing the potentials in the > sector, the Government provided incentives in the form > of tax holidays and duty waivers to potential > Investors. Today there are about 35 hotels, over 6000 > hotel beds, and an average of 100, 000 visitors > Annually. > > Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, tourism is > Recognized as one of the Gambia's principal engines of > growth, and an important contributor to the attainment > of poverty reduction. The sector ontributes between > 16-18 percent of the country's GDP; it provides > employment to over 20, 000 Gambians, in the formal and > non-formal sectors; it is our biggest foreign exchange > earner- in 2004 it fetched US$ 40 million; in the same > year, it contributed D200 million to government > revenue. > > Tourism and its Impact on Gambian society: > > Tourism as you are all aware has mixed impacts. On a > positive note, tourism provides jobs, brings foreign > exchange and provides income to support local > development. It can also directly support local > industry and encourage communities to place greater > emphasis on environmental protection. For instance at > its initial stage tourism encouraged women to learn > various trades in the form of tie and batik which in > effect made them bread winners and providers of the > daily needs of their families. It is indeed through > this dynamic trade that we have seen our women folk > take on greater responsibility of paying for their > children's school fees both locally and abroad, > building houses and providing fish money for their > families and thus making them equal partners with the > men in contributions towards the welfare of the > family. > > Mr. Chairman, ladies and Gentlemen, it is also worth > Mentioning that most of the women folk initially > Engaged in the tie and dye business were uneducated > But surprisingly they were, with time, able to master > The languages of the visitors, as a result of their > Interaction with them. With a little encouragement and > through enrolment in literacy classes some of these > women were not only able to speak foreign anguages; > they also acquired writing skills. We are therefore > glad that tourism in a way also contributed to the > promotion of adult education. > > Indeed, empirical evidence has shown that when two > cultures clash/meet they are bound to influence each > other. This can either be positive of negative. > Although Gambian society has benefited a lot from > tourism, we have also seen a number of negative > impacts, especially with the youth sub sector. Being a > very vulnerable group the tendency is for youth to > abandon indigenous ways of living in favor of the > borrowed western culture- this is more apparent in the > way they dress, marriage culture, begging among > children and prostitution among others. > Mr. Chairman, the list is not excursive as far as I > Know, but I am limiting my self to some of these > problems and hopefully some of the other problems will > form part of our discussion after my remarks. > I am sure that our visitors have also been affected > by their interaction with their Gambian hosts and > friends in a number of ways. > > Mr. Chairman, ladies and Gentlemen, if I may go back > to the economic impact of tourism, like most other > tourist destinations in the developing world, the > Gambia, does not benefit from tourism as much as it > should. A lot of revenue is lost through leakages such > as: > > > . Importation of foodstuff, drinks and other > essential commodities > . Repatriation of expatriate salaries > . Package tour receipts that do not reach The Gambia > . Expenditure on advertisements, promotion and > publicity, among others. > > It is estimated that significant leakages of gross > visitor expenditure due to imports and payments > retained outside the Gambia is estimated to be D218 > million. These results show that we need to be more > proactive in addressing the leakages of the tourism > sector, if we are to maximize gains out of it. > > It is also important to note that Gambian tourism > depends on seasonal packaged tours even though The > Gambia is an all-year round tourist destination. > However, it is disheartening to note that a > significant percentage of package tour operators > money, which include fares, accommodation and board, > stays outside in the country of origin of the tourist. > We are also cognizant of all the factors that > contribute to the leakages in tourism revenue, which > prevent us from maximizing the benefits of tourism. > These were the reasons, among others, that led to the > commissioning of a tourism development master plan > study by The Government of The Gambia. The study's > objective was to review and develop the sector in its > entirety. It has now proposed various policies and > strategies that would guide future development plans > as well as enhance the socio-economic, cultural and > ecological impact of tourism. > > In addition to the Master Plan Study, the Department > of State for Tourism and Culture has also developed a > national Ecotourism Strategy, whose aim is to ensure > that the benefits of tourism trickle down to the > communities, thereby benefiting the majority of the > Gambian people thus contributing towards poverty > alleviation . This will be done by encouraging > investors to develop in partnership with the local > communities' eco-lodges and -camps in the rural areas. > It is expected that this will not only help provide > employment, and enhance the income earning capacity of > rural families, but shall also help reduce the > rural-urban migration. > > Mr. Chairman, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, I > have in the foregone exposition, attempted to > demonstrate the impact of tourism on the Gambian > economy. However, as has been pointed out, even though > the Gambia derives tremendous benefit from tourism, a > lot of what should have accrued to the country remains > outside. The Gambia Government, through my Department > of State, is intensifying efforts via policies and > programmed to ensure that Gambians derive much more > from this very lucrative trade. Examples that can be > highlighted include the Bengdulas, craft-markets, > Beach Bars, Ground Handlers, Fruit & Juice Sellers, > and Tourist Guide Scheme were all initiatives meant to > offer Gambians a stake in the industry. Other > innovations include the Association of Small Scale > Enterprises in Tourism (ASSET), The Responsible > Tourism Partnership (RTP) and the 'Gambia is Good' > these Project are all seeking to achieve > sustainability and more equitable distribution of the > tourism cake At the same time, we also continue to > improve and develop the Gambian product, and to > intensify our marketing and promotion strategy. All of > these, we belief, will help make the Gambia more > marketable thereby boosting the number of visitors, > which we hope will help increase tourism income. At > the end of the day our dream is to utilize the > economic benefits of tourism to alleviate poverty. > > Last but not the least , your associations > contribution in promotinig Gambian culture as an > annual event is highly appreciated by my Department of > State for Tourism and Culture and the entire > Government and people of the Gambia. Let me assure you > of my Department continued support and cooperation . > > On this note Mr. Chairman, Distinguished Ladies and > Gentlemen HE. President Alh Dr Yaya A.J.J .Jammeh has > asked me to convey to you all on his behalf and the > entire Gambian people a happy and joyous 20th cultural > week celebration. I thank you all for your attention. > > > > > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com > > いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい > To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L > Web interface > at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html > > To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: > http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l > To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: > [log in to unmask] > いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい > > > > --------------------------------- > Do you Yahoo!? > Next-gen email? Have it all with the all-new Yahoo! Mail Beta. > > いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい > To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L > Web interface > at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html > > To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: > http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l > To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: > [log in to unmask] > いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい > いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい