These notes from Yahya's policy directive on Tourism are culled from the www.freedomnewspaper.com:

 

"The Gambian people are friendly, and unique, and as a result of this…the visiting tourists enjoyed their stay in the country,” Jammeh said. Mr. Jammeh informed  “ The Gambia In Motion” chief host Fatou Camara that their  primary plan is to further enrich the country’s culture—through major tourism policy reforms, which according to the President might be initiated sometimes in December of 2010.

“ Culture is the backbone of any given country. If anyone abandons his, or her culture, you would end up adopting a foreign culture—which in most cases never worked,” Jammeh observed.

Now you tell me. If I am a tourist from the west, the reason I visit other civilisations is because I am either a researcher, or that I want to indulge far from my home in communities where I am unknown. While touristing, I intend to share my culture with my guest community and marvel in their culture. So tourism, as far as culture goes, is an exchange of ideas. Where have you ever heard of a tourist, a sponge, to leave behind his/her culture, just out to absorb another culture????? So why would you say you want to expand tourism in one breath but discourage the hosts of those tourists from exchanging their culture with that of their guest??? That smacks of selfishness and beats the whole purpose of tourism. And you say it is because of Gambia's rich cultural heritage that tourists visit. Idiocy never ceases to amaze me. Its either you is or you m'aint.

Haruna.