The Gambia has intensified efforts to deepen tourism cooperation with Nigeria, calling on Nigerian travellers, tour operators, travel agents, media practitioners and investors to explore the West African destination and build stronger commercial partnerships.
The Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture of The Gambia, Honourable Abdoulie Jobe, made the call at a Meet and Greet with Nigerian Travel and Tourism Stakeholders in Lagos, organised by the Gambia Tourism Board ahead of the 22nd Akwaaba African Travel Market.
Jobe said the engagement was designed to strengthen the long-standing historical, cultural and people-to-people ties between Nigeria and The Gambia while translating those relationships into increased tourism flows, business partnerships and shared economic opportunities.
“Tourism gives us an opportunity to build on those foundations and translate our friendship into greater movement of people, stronger businesses, business partnerships, and shared economic opportunities,” the minister said.
He urged Nigerian travel trade professionals to view The Gambia beyond simply being a destination to sell, describing the country as a strategic tourism partner.
“To our Nigerian travel trade partners and associations, I wish to make one message very clear. The Gambia is ready for you, The Gambia welcomes you, and we are ready to work with you,” Jobe said.
“We ask you to look at The Gambia not simply as a destination to sell, but a strategic tourism partner.”
Gambia targets more Nigerian visitors
The minister said the country’s ambition was straightforward: attract more Nigerian visitors, increase business collaboration between both countries and create more opportunities for their people.
“We want more Nigerians to discover the Gambia, and we want you to be the bridge that makes that possible,” he told the Nigerian travel trade.
Jobe said achieving the objective would require deliberate partnerships and action rather than goodwill alone.
“Our ambition is straightforward. More Nigerians visiting the Gambia, more businesses working together, and more opportunities created for our people,” he said.
“This will not happen by chance. It will happen through partnership, commitment, and action.”
He also urged Nigerian media organisations to help tell the story of The Gambia and Africa more positively, noting that the destination had a strong story of hospitality, cultural heritage and authentic experiences.
‘Come and discover Destination Gambia’
The Director-General of the Gambia Tourism Board, Mrs Ida Jeng Njie, also invited Nigerians to experience what she described as the “Smiling Coast of Africa.”
“It is a pleasure and honour to be here with you in Nigeria, a country which The Gambia shares not only strong historic and cultural ties, but a deep connection through tourism, business, friendship, and people-to-people relationship,” Njie said.
Her message to the Nigerian market was simple: “Come to the Gambia. Come and discover Destination Gambia.”
She said although The Gambia was small in geographical size, it offered a broad range of experiences, including beaches, resorts, cultural attractions, historic sites, nature reserves, cuisine, entertainment and river experiences.
“We might be small in size, but we are big in experience, warmth, and lots of possibilities,” she said.
According to her, Nigerian travellers could enjoy the familiarity of an African destination while discovering new cultural and tourism experiences.
“For the Nigerian travellers, The Gambia offers something special. You will feel at home, yet you will discover something new,” she said.
Travel trade offered business opportunities
Njie said the Nigerian travel trade represented a major opportunity for the Gambian tourism industry, urging tour operators and travel agents to develop packages and group bookings around the destination.
“To the tour operators and the travel agents here tonight, The Gambia is open for your clients, your group booking, your package, and your business holiday,” she said.
She also invited influencers, content creators and travel journalists to visit the country and tell its story based on their own experiences.
“Come and tell the Gambian story through your own naked eyes. Do not allow anybody to tell you the story,” she said.
She urged travel journalists and media partners to explore the country, interact with its people and report their experiences to a wider African and international audience.
ValueJet highlights growing Nigeria-Gambia air link
The Chief Commercial Officer of ValueJet, Trevor Henry, highlighted the airline’s role in strengthening air connectivity between Nigeria and The Gambia.
Henry said ValueJet had been operating flights to The Gambia since May 2025, with services running three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
He said the route was continuing to grow and that in May 2026, the airline expanded its West African network by incorporating Accra, Ghana, into its route to Banjul.
“We are not only serving Nigeria to the Gambia, we also serve Ghana to the Gambia. We bring to Africa people holidays in the Gambia,” Henry said.
He described The Gambia as an attractive tourism destination, drawing from his own experiences of visiting the country.
“I’ve always enjoyed my travels to the Gambia, it’s a lovely country. I feel a lot at home there,” he said.
Henry likened the destination to an African version of Mauritius, highlighting its potential as a leisure tourism destination for travellers within the continent.
Building an African tourism bridge
The Gambia Tourism Board DG said the objective of the engagement went beyond promoting holidays, stressing that sustainable tourism growth depended on relationships and partnerships across the continent.
“Tourism is not built by one destination and it’s not built by one organisation,” Njie said.
“It is built by people, by partnership, by ideas, by relationship, and by willingness to create experiences that travellers will always remember and never forget.”
She called for stronger travel links between Nigeria and The Gambia, saying increased movement between both countries could generate new business opportunities and contribute to making Africa a more competitive global tourism region.
The Lagos engagement came ahead of the 22nd Akwaaba African Travel Market, providing The Gambia with an opportunity to further showcase its tourism products and engage directly with Nigerian travel professionals and other industry stakeholders.
Jobe, meanwhile, commended the Gambia Tourism Board, Team Gambia, Nigerian tourism stakeholders and the Gambian Consulate for supporting the engagement, and called for the relationship between both countries to be strengthened through tourism, culture, friendship and shared economic opportunities.
“Let us continue to strengthen the bridge between The Gambia and Nigeria, a bridge built on friendship, culture, tourism, and shared opportunity,” he said.
