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Momodou
Denmark
11717 Posts |
 Posted - 26 Feb 2010 : 17:54:02
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This year’s Tourism: is it Good or Bad?
Tourism
with Seedy Darboe
This year’s tourist season could be good or bad – as many people are complaining of how terrible this year’s season is. Some say it is good, in a sense that there is a lot of development in the tourism area, one of which is the street lighting. Others say it is worse compared to previous years.
Why? "Because you can see a person in the market from morning till afternoon, without making a single sale, which is automatically not good for our business as we have other responsibilities at home", said a woman craft vendor. She said considering things to settle, like paying their children’s school fees among other things.
Tourism, as we all know, is one of the Gambia’s foreign exchange earners, coupled with multiple businesses that depend on it and jobs it offers. So, if that is bad, it means many of our dear brothers and sisters will be in trouble interms of financial and other needs. Government should look into improvements in the tourism sector so as to know the problem that may lead to the failure or success of the sector.
In an interview with the Vice President of the Cape Point Tourist Market Pa Mbaye, he is of the view that this year’s season is better as there are lots of developments undertaken therein. "Before, to have a walk to the Cape Point is difficult at night, but now with the help of the government, there are street lights that make some of the tourists to venture out even at night for stroll and to enjoy the night environment of the area", he said.
Another development he pointed out is the access to enter hotels, example of which is Ocean Bay Hotel. "But through the help of the President, access into the hotel freely has been granted and we sell our things thereby making life better", he said.
As usual, he also highlighted the menace of bumsterism as a discouragement to tourists and other businesses in the industry. These bumsters, according to him, discourage tourists from buying from the Cape Point market by telling them that things sold there are expensive compared to other markets.
Nenta Demba, a vegetable vendor also talked about how terrible this year is, compared to other years. According to her, she has been in this business for so long. The trouble she seems to have with her business is low sales, which according to her causes her big loss as there is no way of preserving these vegetables in their fresh state.
Mariama Sillah also said is true to say this year season is bad. According to her, what causes these is the "expensiveness of the hotel". She said tourists complain of the tax they pay at the airport coupled with hotel accommodation.
Source: Dailynews
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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toubab1020
12311 Posts |
Posted - 26 Feb 2010 : 18:05:51
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Quote from above:
"She said tourists complain of the tax they pay at the airport coupled with hotel accommodation."
I expect that this is a reference to the "Holiday Tax" "airport Security Tax" "Passenger duty tax" "Fuel supplement Tax" Oh, yes and don't forget the Value added Tax that all must be paid by travellers by air to the British Government lead by Gordon Brown, hardly surprising that The U.K. Tourists are complaining,all this makes it very hard for the travel industry to offer good value for holidays to The Gambia, and anywhere else for that matter,even going to Scotland is probably just as expensive if not more so than travelling to The Gambia for two weeks ! |
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Edited by - toubab1020 on 26 Feb 2010 18:07:11 |
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Nokia Man
United Kingdom
44 Posts |
Posted - 15 Mar 2010 : 01:37:29
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Internal flights don't demand the same tax increases so Scotland isn't effected so bad.
If you think Gambia is suffering with airport tax a flight from London to Florida in October costs $483 with a tax of $426, making a $909 total. Prices are dependant on carriers and stops before I get quoted on them prices!
In some cases its not the total price that puts people off but the unwillingness to pay the high tax percentage, and quite rightly too. |
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