The 2008/2009 tourist season is on its final leg now.

It has not been a real failure as some people have anticipated. However, it has also not been a real success too.  Tourism is about spending and unfortunately we do not have high spending tourists patronising The Gambia tourism. There had been much talk about the economic recession affecting one of Gambia's biggest foreign exchange earners before the beginning of the tourist season, in October last year.  Gambians trying to eke a living from the tourism business were genuinely worried but became much relieved when a Central Bank official said, "we might not be affected directly from the world financial crisis"- a statement which is debatable. Well, I leave that to the economists and bankers.

I have been working as a freelance official tourist guide for the past eight years or so and sometimes I wonder who is responsible for the false information tourists are given.  As official tourist guides, we were taught to only give correct and positive information to visitors during the training course organised by the then National Tourist Office, way back in 1997. We are mindful as to what information we give to the tourists when we conduct excursions with regards to our country, its people and government.  You wonder at what length people go in their drive to woo potential customers. However, it appears as if someone somewhere is only interested in selling the bad name of the country to tourists who visits The Gambia.

As a guide, I am privileged to strike conversations with as many tourists as I can. However, sometimes I wonder how much they seem to know/ be misinformed about this peaceful country.  Unfortunately it seems they are only being told the bad stories of the country which are in most cases false.  And please do not tell me we are in the IT era.  The false information is told right here in The Gambia. If the government is as bad as it is portrayed to be then we would all have been refugees in other countries by now.

I believe people working within the tourism industry should live and maintain their integrity and dignity, no matter how desperate one is. In a bid to try and rectify the damage already done, I spend endless times trying to convince the tourists that they are only being fed with false information.  Sometimes I hang my head in shame.

On several occasions I have been privileged to attend the welcoming meetings with Scandinavian tour operators, the following days after the Scandinavian flights. I have been closely monitoring the information given to tourists during the welcoming meeting conducted by a local representative, Abdul Corr, who is truly a son of the soil and is a real role model. He said all the good and positive things about The Gambia, its people and government.  On many occasions he has also observed the monthly set-setal or beach cleaning exercise mobilising all the formal and informal sector of the tourism family. No one could be more patriotic. It has been a real success, during the last two exercises.  We are proud of you all the Danish and Finish Reps who are true friends of The Gambia.

On the other hand, what is being told to the English tourists during their welcoming meetings is anybody's guess. It would be a real damage to the country's economy if the true picture is not put across as the English constitute 54% of the tourists coming to The Gambia as visitors. The local representatives working for the English operators must endeavour to give accurate information during their welcoming meetings and in return their guests will respect the people, local customs and values.

I am not pointing a finger at any group of people for being responsible for the negative information tourists hear about the local people and the country.  The fact of the matter remains that people should act responsibly, be they local/foreign reps, official/ unofficial tour guides, hotel workers or anybody who interact with tourists on a daily basis. I think we all should be patriotic citizens and work harder than ever to promote the good image of the country for the benefit of our un-born generation.  The rest of humanity would not forgive us if we continue to spread false information about our society, people and country.

May God help us.