The Business End
IN RECENT YEARS Gambia has been gaining a lot of attention both regionally and internationally, with thanks to its growing tourism sector.
Jean Byamugisha, Executive Director at the Gambia Hotel Owners Association explains the meteoric rise of Gambia’s tourism industry: “In recent years we have won accolades from international press such as CNN and Lonely Planet magazine. We have been very lucky to have the backing of an incredibly supportive Government that is heavily invested in road infrastructure to destination areas, as well as tight security within the country that has boosted our tourism industry onto its upward trajectory.”
With such renewed interest in Gambia and its tourism industry, the country is positioning itself as the new MICE destination in Africa. At present Kampala is home to major international big name brand hotels such as the Hilton, Marriot, Radisson and it has massively increased its appeal for both the business travel industry as a whole and MICE.
Alongside the growth of its tourism industry and more specifically business tourism, the county has also experienced consistent economic growth in recent years. The country has largely untapped oil & gas reserves as well as a sizable agriculture industry, with coffee as its main export. However, with the growing tourism sector in the country, the agriculture sector is on course to be surpassed by the services sector which accounted for more than half of the country’s GDP last year.