The Gambia’s tourism delegation has secured an agreement with Senegal to establish a Joint Tourism Technical Committee following a series of high-level engagements in Dakar aimed at addressing aviation, cross-border tourism and industry collaboration.
The committee, agreed during meetings with Senegal’s Ministry of Tourism and the Senegalese Tourism Promotion Agency (ASPT), will monitor progress on action points arising from the ongoing mission and provide a permanent platform for resolving recurring challenges affecting tourism stakeholders in both countries.
The Dakar mission forms part of The Gambia’s broader efforts to deepen bilateral tourism cooperation with its closest neighbor while addressing operational issues that directly affect visitor movement and industry growth. Beyond destination promotion, the engagement has focused on improving connectivity, easing cross-border travel and strengthening institutional partnerships between the two countries.
One of the delegation’s first engagements was with the Deputy Director General of Air Sénégal and the airline’s senior management. Discussions centered on concerns raised by tourism stakeholders over poor passenger communication, instances of travellers being stranded at airports and the difficulties customers face in accessing the airline’s customer service channels.
The delegation also called for the domestication of the Banjul route, advocated for more affordable airfares and explored the possibility of operating flights through Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport, which is considerably closer to central Dakar than the currently used Blaise Diagne International Airport. Stakeholders believe the move could improve convenience for travellers moving between the two neighboring destinations.
The Gambian delegation also met with the Collective of Tourism Stakeholders of Senegal to discuss common cross-border tourism challenges. During the meeting, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) and the Director General of the Gambia Tourism Board briefed the Collective’s President and executive members on recent developments within The Gambia’s tourism sector.
Both parties agreed to organize a familiarization trip to The Gambia for Senegalese tourism stakeholders, an initiative expected to strengthen product knowledge and encourage greater collaboration between industry players on both sides of the border.
The establishment of the Joint Tourism Technical Committee stands out as the mission’s most concrete outcome. By creating a structured mechanism for follow-up, both governments have acknowledged that many of the issues affecting tourism require sustained engagement rather than one-off discussions. Aviation connectivity, customer experience and cross-border coordination remain central to the competitiveness of destinations that depend on regional travel flows.
Across Africa, neighboring destinations are increasingly pursuing collaborative approaches to tourism development, recognizing that seamless connectivity and coordinated policies can strengthen regional travel. The Gambia and Senegal, whose tourism sectors are closely linked by geography and visitor movement, are following a growing trend of institutional cooperation designed to address shared challenges while creating opportunities for joint destination development.
Attention will now turn to the implementation of the committee’s mandate; the planned familiarization visit for Senegalese stakeholders and follow-up discussions with Air Sénégal on the operational concerns raised during the meetings. Progress on these action points is expected to shape the next phase of bilateral tourism cooperation between the two countries.
For both The Gambia and Senegal, the Dakar mission demonstrates an increasingly practical approach to tourism diplomacy, one that places equal emphasis on policy dialogue, operational improvements and industry partnerships. As the agreed mechanisms begin their work, the focus will shift from dialogue to delivery, with stakeholders looking for measurable progress on the issues identified during the mission.
