Monday, March 25, 2013

Gambia launches tourism institute to tackle skills deficit in tourism


The Gambia government, through the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, on Friday launched Gambia Tourism and Hospitability Institute, which is a transformation of the former Gambia Hotel School.

The launching of the tourism institute is in response to shortage of qualified personnel in the country’s tourism industry, which is now the fastest-growing sector of the economy and accounts for some 16 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP), according to government figures.

 Fatou Mas Jobe-Njie
Tourism Minister of The Gambia
Speaking on the occasion, the Minister of Tourism and Culture, Fatou Mas Jobe-Njie, said the transformation of the former Hotel School into what is now the Gambia Tourism and Hospitability Institute is in response to the skills challenge in the tourism sector and in keeping abreast of ever-changing training needs of the industry.

She said apart from offering professional training to new people entering the tourism and hospitality sector, the new institute will also be offering professional upgrading for existing employees to help them progress in their career.

The aim of the institute is to produce graduates that will be more effective and efficient in their various vocations to which they will be called.

The tourism minister calls on all and sundry to put hands on deck in reaching out in order to make the new institute the Centre of Excellence in tourism and hospitality not only for The Gambia but also for the sub-region.

“The Ministry of Tourism and Culture cannot do it all by itself,” the tourism minister said, adding that everyone has a share of the responsibility to make the new institute second to none.

According to her, the transformation of the institute provides a congenial environment to kick-start new programmes in line with the country’s forward march to offer high levels of qualifications so crucial to quality service delivery in the tourism and hospitality sector.

In doing so, she said, the country will be able to attract more tourists and tourism businesses will flourish, thereby the country’s economy will achieve the growth that it deserves.

However, she noted, the complexity of tourism is such that this expectation and aspiration is the same as for most other countries, developed and developing.

“This leads us back to the peak of competitiveness,” she said.  “Our competition cannot be easily assessed, it is not as straightforward as it might be in other sectors and can be volatile as well.

“This is why we need to be on our toes, to ensure that the services we offer are of genuine high quality and as competitive as any other destination that is considered good.”

Africa contributes almost nothing in global tourism


Africa has a market share of only three percent in the global tourism industry, the Gambia tourism minister also said. 

“This could partly be attributed to poor training in the sector that does not match current market needs,” Hon. Mas Jobe-Njie said.  “Today, the discerning tourists are spoilt for choice and will not entertain sloppiness of services.”

She continued:  “It is therefore important that we understand and master the needs of the tourists that we are out to serve.  This calls for the need to invest heavily in human resource development in order to have the requisite personnel that can deliver high quality services in tourism and hospitality.”

7 comments:

  1. I like reading through an article that will make people think.
    Also, many thanks for allowing me to comment!

    my site: hip to waist ratio calculator

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice to heard about it, and its really great for them. Best of Luck..
    RCI Timeshare Resort

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello to the people of this forum< Am chizzy from Texas and i can say that am the happiest person on earth since last week with what DR UKO has done for me , it all started last year October when my fiance left me in Texas and travel to see his parents in Ohio at first him was still calling me and show love even when him was away , but it gets to a point when he no longer gives a shit about me , and i noticed it so when i tried to confront him , he told me that he dose not love me again that he feel like being alone i was shocked and heartbroken when i tried talking he will hang the phone on me i was so heart broken and i was frustrated about this , but on a second thought i was not convince that he was on his right senses so i discuss this with my elder sister who lives in California and she directed me to DR UKO of ukospelltemple@yahoo.com saying that the man has helped her friend in such case before so i said to my self let me tried i contacted this man and explain everything to him and behold dr uko said to me what am to do and i did exactly what he and he said after three days my fiance will call me and once he calls me i should pick the calls and he gave some other instructions . so i said okay , but to my best surprise on the 7th of November my fiancee called me and started saying on the phone am sorry it was like a dream to me , with this i said i will tell the world of his dr UKO goodness in my life , so if any one is out there and needs help in his or her relationship can also contact him today via

    email ukospelltemple@yahoo.com or whatsapp him on +2347064650019

    ReplyDelete

  4. My name is Rita Ruby. i live in Australia, and am married for 15years without conceiving or getting pregnant until the issue resolved to problem in my home, i was really worried and bothered because i don't want to loose my husband to another woman. i have went to hospital, the doctor told me that i cant get pregnant again i thought i have lost my husband and my marriage already.i decided to check the internet for updates on healthy living and i came across a story of a man of God who PROPHET JEREMIAH Trust helped his wife(Garry Linder) to conceive a baby. i decided to put a try because this has been my greatest problem in life.i contacted PROPHET Jeremiah. Trust via email and tell him my problem and he assured me that he will help me, he told me what to do which i did and today i am a proud mom with a son and daughter. Words will not be enough to explained what this man did for me.i know there is someone in this same condition and you feel there is no way. i urge you to contact prophet Jeremiah so that him can payer for you .Tust now i have giving birth to twins a boy and a girl. and my husband now love me more than before. if you are in need to get pregnant or you need your xe back or you want to win lottery, contact him through his via email prophetmercyland@gmail.com or watch him television marcylandtv com or +2347055176617 .

    ReplyDelete
  5. REAL AND POWERFUL LOVE SPELLS THAT WORK FAST,contact gethelp05@gmail.com to help you get your Ex lover back after breakup/divorce.You can contact me for confirmation Watsapp: + 1-737-221-5268

    ReplyDelete
  6. Read More Here designer replica luggage over at this website high replica bags investigate this site dolabuy ysl

    ReplyDelete