The tourist season is now here. Visitors are coming in large numbers to enjoy their hard earned  rest. History tells us that Gambian tourism started in 1964, when the late Bertil Harding brought the first chartered tourist flight to Bathurst, now Banjul.

Then, there were only two hotels, the Atlantic Hotel and what barely looked like a hotel, Adonis. No tour operators, no trained local handlers, nothing, really to build on. Then years rolled on and the drop developed into a flow and now it is a tide. Tens of thousands of tourists now visit our shores from all parts of the world.

The growth of tourism is indeed good for our country. The tourists bring much needed hard currency. The hotels, tour operators, ground handlers, museums, and other sites give jobs to hundreds of Gambians. Now  tourism has become a whole industry of its own.
Government is playing its part very well.

The Banjul International Airport is now world class, and can handle tourist flights of various configurations. It is also secure; the peace and stability that our country is known for is what attracts tourists here. The beaches are in good order. A Tourism Authority was created in 2002 to give the much needed regulatory framework to the industry. Recently, CNN aired an advert promoting Gambian tourism. All these are steps in the right direction.

Two of our remarkable landmarks - first James Island in 2003, and then the stone Circles in 2006 - were inscribed into the prestigious World Heritage Site List which means that now, they are part of the patrimony of humankind.

These developments alone are a major boost to the potential of The Gambia as a tourist destination. New museums are being put up in the urban and rural areas to promote the industry.

Additionally, many colleges are now offering courses in tourism and travel, so that in addition to the hotel school graduates, more and more Gambians are now being trained to run travel and tourism businesses. Soon our country will be one of the most important tourist destinations in Africa.

There is a lot for our country to gain from tourism. All hands should be on deck to maximise the impact of tourism on our society, more jobs, more tourist philantropists, as well as infrastructural development. Thus, there is a direct link between tourism and national development.

Tourism is a viable industry , and nothing should be spared by all stakeholders to make sure that the industry goes from strength to strength and continues to play a role in national development as envisioned in Vision 2020.