http://www.gambianow.com/ A boom in the number of tourists visiting The Gambia is providing strong revenues for the country.
Major Private and government-owned hotels are reporting high occupancy rates and the tourism ministry says passenger numbers increased by 30% last year.
The Gambia tourist authorities expect last year's strong growth to continue in 2009 with the General Administration of Tourism forecasting almost 150 thousand foreign tourists over the year.
Meanwhile, many other countries in the region are coping with empty airline seats and quiet hotels. Countries like Senegal, Ghana and the Cape Verde islands are trying to find ways to bring tourists back to resorts cleared out by the effects of the credit crunch.
The Gambia is capitalising on its reputation as one of the safest destinations in Africa. The Gambia is modernising, opening up and developing its economy. It has also begun running tourism campaigns on major platforms such as CNN to encourage foreigners to see what it has to offer.
Five star beach resorts, golf courses, adventure travel and centuries of history are pulling in more tourists from traditional markets as well as new ones. They include England, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland.
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