The West African Countries (ECOWAS) economic community has signed a five-day regional tourism training workshop in Banjul, Gambia, to strengthen its commitment to boost community tourism. The initiative forms part of the EcoTour Regional Policy (2021-2030) and aims to attract 10 million local tourists each year by 2029. The authorities emphasized the importance of harmonious policies and cooperation to strengthen tourism's contribution to job creation and sustainable development.
Key recommendations from the workshop include decentralising decentralised training to reach rural and border communities, strengthening collaboration with immigration agencies, and introducing cross-border simulation exercises. The role of Gambia as a major tourism hub is also highlighted, with the sector contributing 20% to the country's GDP. The training, which brought together tourism experts and policymakers from ECOWAS countries, underscored the need for a coordinated approach to remove barriers to mobility and advance regional tourism integration. Participants marked ECOWAS's ongoing investment in capacity building and professional development within the sector and received a certificate of completion.
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Source: ECOWAS
