冈比亚临海、靠近欧洲的地理位置使其成为西非最受欢迎的旅游目的地之一，旅游业通常占GDP的20%左右
文I 比塔亚 冈比亚广播电视公司记者 翻译I 邓哲远
冈比亚有着“非洲微笑海岸”的美誉，多年以来一直在努力建设为著名旅游目的地。在冈比亚赢得独立的1965年，瑞典人伯蒂·哈丁和旅游业者维根索共同组织了300名瑞典游客来到这里，开启了冈比亚旅游业的发展之路。长期以来，每年上千名国际游客来到冈比亚，他们被冈比亚的海滩、鸟类、阳光等吸引，其中最重要就是冈比亚人民，他们的友好、热情为冈比亚赢得了“非洲微笑海岸”的美名。
旅游业已经成为冈比亚发展速度最快的经济部门，对国家GDP做出了巨大贡献，并创造了超过100000个岗位。随着越来越多的游客每年回到冈比亚度假，当地人对旅游季翘首以待，因为旅游业是他们的唯一收入来源，由此可见旅游业在冈比亚经济中的重要地位。然而，尽管冈比亚作为旅游目的地越来越受欢迎，基础设施长期发展缓慢，而这正是投资者应当大力探索的重要领域。
冈比亚的旅游资源
冈比亚有180英里长，却只有21英里宽，沿着班珠尔河蜿蜒向西，经过红树林湿地、竹林、盐洼，一直到达首都班珠尔，而首都拥有30英里长的大西洋海岸线。冈比亚位于萨赫勒的南部边缘，基本上由稀树草原和开阔的林地组成，是非洲一个安全的天堂。
这里的雨季不长，通常是7月到9月，大多数降水都在晚上。从12月到3月的气候干燥温暖，是旅游旺季。
尽管冈比亚在西非是一个领土小国，但它提供了多种多样的旅游景点。这里有海外旅游公司、本土旅游公司和官方导游组织的无数陆上旅览、综合性探险活动和河上旅途。
冈比亚的许多旅游景点都能带来非洲海滨假期的全新体验，是游客的完美选择，而投资机会数不胜数。从海滨度假胜地孔博北开始，你可以体验首都班珠尔的各类旅游景点，这里有坐落在独立大道的冈比亚国家博物馆、繁忙的阿尔伯特市场、城市入口的大拱门和令人惊叹的殖民建筑。
距首都几公里之外的海滨地区，你可以到达主要的度假地，如巴考、开普角、法加拉、科洛里、塞内冈比亚条形街、科图，在这些地方，你可以尽享金色沙滩、阳光、水上运动、自行车、高尔夫、网球等各种娱乐活动。这些地区也是大多数游客选择游玩的地方，他们在这里无数的餐厅、酒吧、商店、夜店里度过欢乐时光，尤其是在科洛里和塞内冈比亚条形街。
另外一个不容错过的绝佳经典是巴考，这里有一个巨大的手工艺品市场，完美展现了非洲和冈比亚艺术，这里还有卡驰卡里鳄鱼池，据说这里的鳄鱼非常温顺，游客可以抚摸他们，甚至和他们合影。往内陆走，你可以找到萨拉昆达市，这里有冈比亚最大的市场，各种商品应有尽有。在扎染工厂，你绝对不想错过这个购买优质扎染服装或包的好机会。这里还有毕继罗森林公园，是许多猴子和鸟类的家园，从卡拉巴或者塞内冈比亚的酒店步行就可以到达公园。这里正在建设国际会议中心，资金正是来自中国政府。在喜来登（也就是现在的珊瑚海酒店）和当地基础设施发展起来后，布鲁夫高地和花园成为越来越重要的旅游目的地，这意味着在冈比亚，短时间内很容易把旅游产品推向市场。
坐拥冈比亚河和大西洋，冈比亚的捕鱼业不仅提供了冈比亚人民的食物，是重要的经济来源，更成为了旅游点。渔船码头值得一去，周围有许多投资机会，不过前提是遵守环保法律。这样的地方有很多，在滩基村庄博物馆和鸟类保护区的岸边，你可以雇一艘小船，在红树林里穿行，欣赏优美的景色。你也可以在滩基来一场骆驼远行。在喀同，你可以参观西柠鱼艺术廊，欣赏当地艺术家的作品。你还可以乘坐小型飞机鸟瞰河湾等自然景观。
冈比亚内陆还有无数旅行营地，大部分都位于河边，提供还不错的住宿。
如果想要冒险，你可以拜访首都正南方的滩比湿地保护区。这里有大面积的河湾、红树林湿地，有大量机会坐船游览、观鸟、垂钓。坐船垂钓的机会非常多。你可以选择海钓或者在河湾里钓鱼，也可以直接在河里钓鱼，连接了首都班珠尔城和大班珠尔地区的登顿大桥附近有无数的旅游公司，你可以在那里租一艘小船。
此外，冈比亚还有许多野生动物&鸟类保护区，例如滩基和阿布科自然保护区，这里距离大多数酒店仅20分钟车程。在阿布科森林里，还居住着狮子、鬣狗和许多不同种类的猴子。
冈比亚人口主要由8个不同的族群组成，其中最大的族群是曼丁哥人，他们传统上是农民；还有是牧民的富拉尼人；主要是商人的沃洛夫人，他们和平地生活在冈比亚。尽管每个族群有自己的语言，英语是冈比亚的通用语和官方语言。冈比亚不仅没有族群冲突，还有越来越多的文化交流和通婚，使得这里成为一个西非熔炉。冈比亚人口中的90%是穆斯林。
冈比亚有着强大的音乐传统，和婚礼、开斋节或圣诞节等节庆活动密切相关。传统乐器包括科拉琴（鲁特琴）、巴拉（木琴）和塔马（手持鼓）。尽管大多数人是穆斯林，但是圣诞节同样是重要庆典，其中重要的装饰物是名为彩灯（fanals）的大灯笼，常常是船或者房子的形状，装饰复杂。伴随着歌声和欢呼，大街上会举办彩灯游行。这是冈比亚人民平和本性的体现，他们对不同宗教高度宽容，而这在这一地区并不常见。
冈比亚的旅游业市场
冈比亚的矿产资源很少，严重依赖农业、海外工人的侨汇和旅游收入。冈比亚临海、靠近欧洲的地理位置使其成为西非最受欢迎的旅游目的地之一,旅游业通常占GDP的20%左右。但在2014年受西非邻国埃博拉疫情的影响，冈比亚旅游业受到重创。失业和就业不足居高不下，由于旅游业为年轻人提供了大量就业岗位，政府正开放大门欢迎投资者，开启双赢合作。
任何一个经济部门都欢迎国内外的投资，其中最关键的是能带来更多好处的旅游业。
尽管有人说，政府希望投资者针对不同区域进行差异化投资，但是投资政策和政府的其他政策对商业活动范围没有任何限制。政府坚持开放、平等的政策，保证外部投资者和国内投资者享受同等待遇。政策还鼓励外国投资者入股，以此推动科技和管理经验的传播和转移。
在2017年旅游季，到冈比亚的游客数量预计将达到200000人。但2016年12月1日大选前的不确定性，以及2016年12月至2017年1月之间的政治僵局严重影响了2016年和2017年的旅游季。最近，意大利、西班牙、俄罗斯和法国的游客开始前往冈比亚旅游，一些美国游客来参加两年一度的国际寻根节。
旅游业具有高度季节性，大部分游客都在欧洲的冬季（10月到4月）来到冈比亚。在冬季月份，酒店入住率可以达到90%，而在其他季节仅为25%。大部分游客（84%）通过旅游公司前来旅游。冈比亚旅游部和旅游委员会在过去几年里致力于将冈比亚转变为一个全年的旅游目的地，但尚未有成效。另外还有许多非洲游客，例如尼日利亚人来冈比亚度假或者社交。
水上交通，尤其是作为旅游业的一部分，提供了最有可能的商机，冈比亚河大部分河段都可通航，但很少用于任何货运或客运。冈比亚没有铁路，冈比亚人依赖陆上商业交通工具或者轮渡。交通运输，尤其是旅游交通常常提供特殊服务，以保证舒适。冈比亚很少有交通拥堵，狭小的国土让你能够迅速在各地游览。
冈比亚在很多方面有利于旅游业投资，其和平的本性和低犯罪率使其成为安全的天堂，这是一个美丽、温暖的国家，有着沙滩、美景，还有人们的热情微笑，这里是非洲的微笑海岸——冈比亚。(编辑：常浩)
Gambia, “the Smiling Coast of Africa”
By Rohey Bittaye, Journalist of Gambia Radio & Television
Known as the smiling coast of Africa, the Gambia has been striving as a famous Tourist destination for many years. It all started when a party of 300 Swedish tourists arrived in 1965, the year the country gains its independence. That pioneering trip was organized by a Swede named Bertil Harding together with the tour operators Vingresor. Since then, every year, thousands of international visitors come to The Gambia, drawn by its beaches, birds, sunshine, and the country's biggest asset: the Gambian people, whose hospitality and friendliness have made it earns its country brand "The Smiling Coast of Africa."
Tourism has become the fastest-growing sector of the Gambia’s economy, contributing immensely to the country's GDP and providing employment for over 100,000 Gambians. With more and more visitors are returning year after year the tourist season is something that many awaits annually as their only means of income hence the significant role this sector plays in the country’s economy. However, despite increasing popularity as a tourist destination, infrastructure development has been slow, a key sector that investors should greatly explore.
The Gambia is 180 miles long, but only 21 miles wide, and follows the course of the River Gambia as it meanders west through mangrove swamps, bamboo forests, and salt flats, to the capital city Banjul, which is located along the 30-mile stretch of Atlantic coast. The Gambia lies at the southern edge of the Sahel and is made up of mostly savannah and open woodland vegetation, a safe heaven in Africa.
The raining season is short, from usually from July to September, with most of the precipitation falling at night. The climate is dry and warm from December through February, the peak of the tourist season.
Though the Gambia located in West Africa is small in terms of size it offers a wide variety of sites offering tourist excursions and attractions. There are numerous land-based tours, mixed excursions and river trips organized by overseas tour operators as well as locally based ground tour operators and freelance Official Tourist Guides.
With many attraction sites that can give you whole new meaning of a holiday in the shores of Africa, the Gambia is the perfect package for guest and investment opportunities are numerous. Starting from the coastal holiday resorts of Kombo North you can begin with the various tourist attractions of Banjul Capital where there is Gambia National Museum on Independence Drive which I believe giving it a face lift would do it no harm but rather increase its attraction, the bustling & lively Albert Market, the huge arch at the entrance to the capital or marvel at some of the colonial architecture.
A few kilometres away from the capital and towards the coastal areas you get to the major vacation locations of Bakau, Cape Point, Fajara, Kololi, Senegambia Strip and Kotu where you can enjoy local attractions of endless golden beaches and almost guaranteed sunshine and other leisure activities such as watersports, biking, golf and tennis. These areas are where most tourist choose to spend their time with its numerous restaurants, bars, shops & local night clubs particularly in the Kololi & Senegambia areas.
Another dazzling and exciting place you wouldn’t want to miss during your stay in Gambia is Bakau, it host a big craft market with a perfect display of African and Gambian Art works and the Katchikally Crocodile Pool (whose crocs are allegedly said to be so tame they allow tourist to touch them and even post for pictures) further inland you find Serrekunda town with its astounding & hectic market the biggest market in the Gambia where you can find almost all goods. The skillful tie-and-dye factory you wouldn’t want to miss an opportunity of having a dress or a bag from the beautiful and quality tie and dye designs or batik. There is also the Bijilo Forest Park a home to many monkeys and birds which is within easy walking distance from the Kairaba or Senegambia hotels the area will soon be the host of the International Conference Center currently under construction through the funding of the Chinese Government. The destinations of Brufut Heights and Brufut Gardens are becoming increasingly important resort destinations after the opening of the Sheraton, now Coral Beach Hotel and the development of the local area's facilities, that is to tell you it is very easy for one to market their business within a short period in the Gambia tourism sector.
Endowed with the River Gambia and the Atlantic Ocean cutting across various parts of the country, the Gambia’s good and fresh fish catches are not only serving as a means of food to its people and for economical gains but as tourist sites. Fish Landing sites are interesting areas to visit and of cause many investment opportunities lies around these so long as the environmental protection laws are respected. The sites are many, the coast of the Tanji Village Museum and Bird Reserve are places where you can hire a boat and take an excursion among the mangroves with amazing beautiful scenery. You can also go for camel safaris at Tanji which is located just after the bridge on the left. At Kartong you can visit the Lemonfish Art Gallery which display works from local Gambian artists. Micro-light flights are also available that offer visitors stunning views of the creeks and bolong and other natural tourist attractions.
There are numerous safari camps located up-country and most are to be found on the river banks offering reasonably descent accommodation.
For the even more adventurous you can visit the Tanbi Wetland Reserve which is located directly south of the capital. It is a large expanse of creeks & mangrove swamps with plenty of opportunities for cruising, bird watching and fishing. Fishing excursion opportunities are endless. You can choose sea or creek fishing as well as the river itself where you can hire a boat from numerous tour operators located at the Denton Bridge, the bridge connecting the capital City Banjul to the greater Banjul area.
However the Gambia has many wildlife & bird reserves such as Tanji and Abuko Nature Reserve which is a 20 minutes drive from most hotels. Abuko forest is also home to lions, hyenas & various species of monkeys.
The Gambia's population comprise of mainly Eight different ethnic groups, the largest of which are the Mandinkas, traditionally farmers, the Fulani, traditionally herders, and the Wollof, mainly traders, live peacefully together in The Gambia. Though each group speaks its own language, English is commonly spoken and is the official language of the country .Not only is there no ethnic strife in The Gambia but there is increasing cultural interaction and intermarriage, making the country a West African melting pot. The population is predominantly Muslim with 90% following Islam.
The Gambia has a strong musical tradition, often associated with weddings, feast-days such as the end of Ramadan, or Christmas. Traditional instruments include the kora (lute ), bala (xylophone ), and the tama (hand-held drum). Though the majority of the population is Muslim, Christmas brings a celebration with large lanterns called fanals, often in the shape of boats or houses and intricately decorated. The fanals are paraded through the streets to singing and chanting this is as a result of the peaceful nature of its people who are highly tolerant when it comes to religion something difficult to find within the sub region.
The Gambia has sparse natural resource deposits. It relies heavily on agriculture and remittances from workers overseas and tourist receipts. The Gambia's location on the ocean and proximity to Europe has made it one of the most frequented tourist destinations in West Africa.Tourism normally brings in about 20% of GDP.But it suffered in 2014 from tourists’ fears of Ebola virus which was in neighboring West African countries a major setback on the country’s tourism sector. Unemployment and underemployment remain high and for the fact that the tourism sector employs a large chunk of the country’s youthful population government is said to be opening its doors to investors to tapped the many potentials for a win- win cooperation.
Domestic and foreign investment is encouraged in virtually all the sectors of the Gambian economy, and key among them is tourism and travel geared towards opening p for the greater good.
Notwithstanding it is said that despite Government's wishes in influencing location of investment, the investment and other Government policies do not have any restrictions on the range of business activities in which investors may engage. The government is maintaining its open-door non-discriminatory policy of ensuing that no foreign investor is subject to restrictions that are not applicable to domestic investors and vice versa. The policy also seeks to encourage equity participation of foreign investors as a means of enhancing the spread and transfer of technology, technical, managerial and entrepreneurial skills.
In the build up to the 2017 tourism season, Tourist arrivals were expected to reach 200,000, but uncertainty in the run-up to the December 1, 2016 Presidential elections and the political impasse that followed between December 2016 and January 2017 severely affected the 2016/2017 season. Recently, tourists from Italy, Spain, Russia and France, have also started visiting The Gambia. A few tourists come from the US, mainly to attend the biennial international Roots Festival.
The industry is highly seasonal as the bulk of the tourists arrive during the European winter (October – April). Average hotel occupancy reaches 90% in the winter months, but barely reaches 25% during the rest of the year. Most (84%) of the tourists arrive through tour operators. The ministry of Tourism and the Gambia Tourism Board have been over the years trying to better promote destination Gambia to be a year round tourist destination but efforts are yet to be fully realize, though many other African tourist like Nigerians also visit Gambia for holidays and for their social activities.
River transport, especially as part of tourism, presents likely business opportunities. The River Gambia is highly navigable for a major portion of its course, but is not used by any transport service for goods and services. The Gambia has no railway services, the people rely on the roads through commercial vehicles, or by ferries. Transformation especially in the tourism sector is easy to come by with special services dedicated to the sector to ensure smooth movements. There isn’t much traffic jam in the Gambia, the small nature of the country allows you to move around to different places within limited time and at affordable rates.
The country offers several incentives for investments in the tourism sector, its peaceful nature and low crime rate makes it a safe heaven to enjoy a peaceful holiday in a beautiful warm country with sunny sandy beaches and a great environment along with the warm smiles of its people, that’s the smiling coast of Africa, The Gambia.