The Director General, Gambia Tourism Board, Abubacarr S. Camara has been listed as one of the winners of the African Travel 100 Global Leaders Award for his remarkable achievement towards the growth of the tourism sector in Africa.
Mr. Abubacarr S. Camara joined the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of the Government of The Gambia way over 25 years ago as a clerk.
With hard work and determination Mr Camara rose on the ladder from clerk to Product development Officer at the National Tourist Office (NTO) of the Ministry.
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Later on in 2001, the NTO was transformed into The Gambia Tourism Authority (GTA) and Mr Abubacarr S. Camara was one of the few staff that were transferred to this new Institution as a Quality Control and Classification Inspector. There, he again rose on the ladder from Quality control and classification Inspector to a Manager Quality Control, Licensing and Enforcement.
In 2011, the GTA was again transformed into The Gambia Tourism Board (GTBoard) and again Mr Camara was retained and rose on the ladder from Manager to Senior Manager as well as Director of Quality Control, Licensing and Enforcement until June 2020 when Mr Camara was appointed Director General of The Gambia Tourism Board and later on confirmed in the same year.
Mr Camara has undergo various training ranging from Tourism and Hospitality Management in India in 2004, Eco-Tourism Management in Japan in 2008, Hotel inspections and Classification in UK in 2010, and a lot more local trainings in The Gambia in various disciplines . Mr Camara obtained a four year Honors Bachelors Degree in Tourism and Hospitality Management in The Gambia and a Master of Business Administration (MBA)in Italy.
Apart from being the current Director General of The Gambia Tourism Board, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Mr Camara was an adjunct lecturer of Tourism Planning and Management as well as Tourism Marketing at the University of The Gambia
At International Level;
Director General Mr. Camara Chaired the African Session at the UN Tourism General Assembly held in Madrid, Spain on the 1st December, 2021.
Mr. Camara represented the Honourable Minister of Tourism and Culture of The Gambia as a Speaker in the High-level General Debate on Community-based Tourism at UNWTO Global Summit jointly organized by UNTourism and the Ministry of Tourism of the Maldives held in CROSSROADS Maldives from the 15th – 16th June, 2022.
Mr Camara was one of the Participants representing their various Countries who made presentations at the UNWTO Global Conference on Linking Tourism, Culture and The Creative Industries: Pathways to Recovery and Inclusive Development held in Lagos, Federal Republic of Nigeria UN Tourism Global Conference on Tourism, Culture and Creative arts held in Lagos, Nigeria, from 14-16 November 2022, where Mr Camara was awarded a Certificate on behalf of all the Participants at the conference.
Mr Camara moderated a panel discussion on Investment Opportunities in Tourism, Hospitality and Culture organized by The Gambia Investment and Export Promotion Agency (GIEPA) in collaborating with the Islamic Center for Development of Trade (ICDT), a subsidiary organ of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), at the Investment forum that took place on 2- 3 May 2024, at the Kairaba Beach Hotel on the sidelines of the OIC Heads of State Summit.
