The Danish holiday-makers who were flown into Banjul International Airport by Thomas Cook carrier, were given warm welcome by Gambia's tourism agency officials amidst cultural dance and display.
Lamin Saho, a senior official at the Gambia Tourism Authority (GTA) said they were expecting most of this year's tourist arrivals from Scandinavian countries a nd some 633 tourists are expected to arrive in the country on weekly basis.
Saho is said to be very optimistic about this year's tourism season, saying it is 'a good season,' at least going by records on the number of tourists that have booked and plan to spend holidays in the Gambia.
Meanwhile, there was a sharp drop on the number of tourist arrivals in the count ry last year and tourism officials have blamed global financial crises for the drastic fall but some other people argued that there was more to it than that.
Rights groups have reportedly campaigned against the Gambia due to the country's poor human rights records - calling on tourists to go elsewhere for holidays.
This, according to observers, have also contributed to the falling figures on tourist arrivals in the West African country over the years.
Tourism is an important sector in Gambian economy as it fetches lots of hard currency - enhancing the country's foreign exchange earning capacity, creating emp loyment opportunities, among other economic benefits.
Dakar - 24/10/2009
Pana
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