Business owners in the Senegambia area have expressed concerns over the current tourism season, which they say has been adversely affected by the introduction of the ‘all-inclusive’ package for tourists.
While the current tourism season appears to be flourishing according to many it has been soiled due to the rise of the ‘all-inclusive’ package for tourists.
Although the all-inclusive offers improved convenience for visitors, local operators in the tourism sector are concerned that it has limited their facilities from benefiting from active tourist seasons.
The All-inclusive Package typically include accommodation, meal, excursion, and opportunities for craft sales, all provided by the hotels. This package, local business players lament, has stifled business or the services they provide to eke out a living for their families and growth.
According to the president’s recent New Year’s message, “The tourist season in the country is booming again, with 233,411 tourists recorded from October to December 2024. It is projected that 263,764 tourists will visit the country during the 2024-2025 tourist season.”
The president noted that these increasing arrival figures have positively impacted the country’s GDP, as revenue generation has shown satisfactory improvement.
However, the narrative for local businesses differs, as Samba Sowe, a craft marketer, disputes: “This season is not as good as portrayed because we have not seen tourists nor have we made much sales since it started.
“If they say there are a lot of tourists, we don’t see them, as a lot of them don’t come out to buy from us. So hearing people say the season is good and there are lots of tourists, we become doubtful because if you look around the place it is empty; you can count how many tourists are here.”
Mr Sowe outlined that artwork sales are not specified, as one cannot determine how many sales they make per day since they sit for days without selling before they could sometimes get one good sale or hit the jackpot. Additionally, Sowe emphasised that sales were better prior COVID-19, as many changes occurred after the pandemic including the All-inclusive that has now reduced the spending of many tourists.
