More and more people are currently asking themselves this question, thinking wistfully back to the ‘good old days’ before corona dominated the media landscape and turned all other news into a sideshow… There are still a few countries that, according to travel specialist and location scout Frank Müller from Warnemünde (Rostock), for example, can be visited without a mask and disguise with a clear conscience.
Romania, Georgia, Eritrea or The Gambia…
In his opinion, these include Romania, Georgia, the completely unknown Eritrea and one of the currently most successful destinations in Africa, Tanzania and … the smallest country in Africa, The Gambia. There’s a great atmosphere in The Gambia, the overrated C in Europe is virtually non-existent here: bars, restaurants and nightclubs are open and you can even pop into the hairdresser without a PCR test or laborious registration procedure.
Freedom in The Gambia?
Welcome to freedom, welcome to The Gambia. The official corona figures are actually very favourable. Perhaps the Covid-19 virus doesn’t like Africa’s smallest country?
Why tourism in The Gambia still has its best days ahead of it. The Gambia is regarded as a very progressive, open-minded holiday destination and, despite its economic malaise, impresses with a low crime rate. The people are considered to be very friendly and guests are actually welcomed with a genuine smile. According to travel expert Müller, the country is facing a boom that cannot (yet) be catered for.
The publisher of the renowned B2B tourism trade magazine provides answers
More positive news makes people curious about The Gambia. More and more positive news from The Gambia has now prompted the editors of one of the leading hospitality and hotel information websites to interview Oliver Gaebe, a German travel journalist researching in The Gambia.
‘hotellerie nachrichten’:
‘Hello Oliver, how are you doing in The Gambia?’
Oliver:
‘Thanks for asking, since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, I haven’t been better anywhere…’
‘hotellerie nachrichten’:
‘I saw that in our preliminary interview, you really did stay at one of the most successful hotels in The Gambia, the Tamala Beach Resort. Where does the hotel’s success come from?’
Oliver:
‘The hotel, which was newly built in 2018, was a contractual partner of Thomas Cook and FTI and had almost permanent full occupancy from the beginning until March 2020. That really can be described as a success story. There are many reasons for this success, including excellent facilities and a fantastic location on the most beautiful beach in The Gambia.
In March 2020, tourism literally collapsed and the hotel had to reposition itself. Together with the owners, the marketing department developed a strategy to focus on local tourism and has been extremely successful in neighbouring countries, with many short breaks now coming from Banjul, Senegal and Nigeria to enjoy Gambian hospitality. And then there’s the location: the beach is considered the most beautiful in the country.’
‘hotellerie nachrichten’:
‘That sounds really exciting, hardly any hotel has managed to position itself so successfully in the Corona era. Now there are rumours that the European market is to be targeted again.’
Oliver:
‘That’s right. After all, Europeans stay in a country for a relatively long time, which means that long-term capacity utilisation can be better managed and diversified markets can be approached. There are currently very interesting discussions between leading German media and The Gambia, and well-known journalists may soon be travelling to The Gambia and portraying interesting sights.
Breathtaking Gambia River
A river cruise on the Gambia River, for example, is a great opportunity to experience the true feeling of Africa. In my eyes, this is one of the absolute highlights in West Africa. Around 300 kilometres east of the capital Banjul, there are some truly beautiful corners and there are various islands that offer shelter and undisturbed nature to a large number of endemic animal and plant species.
There are hippos, monkeys and crocodiles to be seen in an incredible variety and natural beauty. There are also beautifully situated lodges in the middle of the mangrove forest, where the operators have taken great care to preserve nature. In my opinion, the country offers much more than it appears at first glance.’
‘hotellerie nachrichten’:
‘That sounds really amazing and I’m surprised too. What are the other special features? Africa is generally regarded as a social hotspot and what is the security situation like in The Gambia?’
Oliver:
‘The Gambia is actually the safest destination in Africa in my eyes. I’ve been travelling in The Gambia and Senegal for two months now and once I even left my mobile phone on the table of a restaurant in Banjul: the staff came running after me and brought me my mobile phone. If the same thing were to happen to you in Cape Town or Mombasa, your mobile phone would have disappeared never to be seen again.
Is The Gambia safe?
The ‘feeling of security’ is also completely different to what I know from Nairobi or Durban, for example. In other African countries, you always have your eyes and ears open to see if a sudden threat situation could arise. In my opinion, this is not necessary here. The people in The Gambia are poor, but still very friendly and they actually have a very likeable quality, they smile and they welcome you with their eyes. They ask curiously where you come from … and in my opinion not immediately, because they expect a tip. But this is still very welcome for good reasons…’
‘hotellerie nachrichten’:
‘Are we talking about summer 2021?’
Oliver, nods.
‘hotellerie nachrichten’:
‘I would now like to address the C-topic. How do you rate the coronavirus measures in The Gambia?’
Oliver:
‘I can only speak about myself now, I had a negative PCR test and a C- rapid test was done again at the airport. That was on 1 June and I haven’t actually worn a mask since then and I was also travelling in Senegal for a week. It’s easy to cross the border by car between The Gambia and Senegal and it’s enough to have the coronavirus test from your country of origin with you. I would like to make a brief comparison between Senegal and The Gambia: there are significantly more people wearing masks in Senegal.
I was thrown out of a French supermarket AUCAUN in Dakar because I didn’t have a mask with me. Here in The Gambia, everything is normally open and you can go to a restaurant and go dancing at any time in the evening, nightclubs and discos are open and, especially at the weekend, it’s really busy and you forget that you’re in July 2021.’
‘hotellerie nachrichten’:
‘That sounds really good. What are the Gambian entry requirements like?’
Oliver:
‘Europeans can stay in the country for 30 days and extend their stay for a further four weeks for a fee of around 1000 Dalasi, which is about €17. If someone wants to extend their stay by two months, they pay 2000 Dalasi, about 36 €. Here, however, I am also in dialogue with politicians and am trying to achieve a significant extension and simplification of the residence processes.’
‘hotellerie nachrichten’:
‘That’s really interesting information. What do you think life will look like in the country in 2030?’
Oliver:
‘Of course, not all that glitters is gold, but a lot of money is definitely being spent on improving the infrastructure and also optimising environmental protection. Some investors from the Tamala Beach Resort’s corporate environment are planning to spend almost 50 million dollars to develop a huge tourism project here in line with the latest standards. You can already see from that…: A lot is going to happen in The Gambia in the near future. Also in environmental protection – that’s where the biggest deficit is.’
‘A lot is going to happen here soon and the country is in dire need of it, because tourism really is The Gambia’s only source of income. The country is doing everything it can to promote tourism in a positive and sustainable way; anything else would not be conducive to achieving its goals.’
‘hotellerie nachrichten’:
‘Thank you very much for the interview and greetings from Graz to The Gambia.’
