On Gambia, Guinea Tourism Cooperation!
As African countries look inwards by taking concert measures to attract tourists' arrivals in the coming years, hopes are high of better days ahead. It is no hidden secret that the emergence of Covid-19 has battered global tourism sector. And no country is immune during those struggling period.
It an undisputable fact that the tourism industry is a key player and contributes a great deal to the global economy, contributing 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), 30 percent of service exports, and creating almost 235 million jobs. Looking to the future, there is substantial room in continent's travel and tourism market, particularly in light of current sectoral growth patterns, as more international tourists wants to explore Africa's hospitality sector.
However, this can only bear fruits when countries in the region open-up and agreed on common new approaches to boost arrival numbers. Africa has enormous potentials when it comes displaying the continent's rich heritage.
The Gambia's Minister of Tourism and Culture, Hamat N.K. Bah and his equivalent in the Republic of Guinea, Madame Salla Fanta Fangni Camara recently put pen to paper, signalling the start of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two countries.
The MoU in essence seeks to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries especially in the field of Tourism. The signing ceremony took place recently in Conakry during President Adama Barrow's three-day state visit to the Republic of Guinea.
Given that the economic and political environment in Africa continues to improve, many of the benefits of this promising trend in emerging and developing countries are likely to accrue positive yield for the African continent.
Africa's tourism industry and even the economy is growing and developing at a fast space. However, there is need to promote regional tourism within African countries. Therefore, the signing of this MOU is timely giving the fact that there is need to regulate, harness and exploit the vast resources in the hospitality sector.
The MoU will also facilitate the actualisation of modalities by which the two parties support mutually beneficial cooperation.
We need to promote and facilitate tourism cooperation between countries through facilitating the establishment of partnerships between the National Tourist Offices. It is through such that these countries can effectively harmonise a range of issues geared towards expanding and developing the hospitality sector in their various countries.
