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 === ____________________________________________________________________________________ Sponsored Link Mortgage rates near 39yr lows. $420k for $1,399/mo. 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