The Gambian Tourist Value Chain and Prospects for Pro-Poor Tourism

Tourism in The Gambia: International ‘Best Practice’ in Poverty Reduction & Pro-Poor Growth Through Tourism
Draft Report (Friday 22 nd December 2006)
of-pocket expenditure which indicates that this averages D1,460 (or £26 per tourist per day
– or £280 per person over the average length of stay). This is high both internationally – in
part precisely because The Gambia has resisted the introduction of All Inclusive packages -
and also in comparison with the cost of the holiday package, to which it should be added
(See Table 9).
Figure 12 integrates these two elements of tourism expenditure, the package value chain
(in the form of an average package throughout the year) and the discretionary expenditure
of package and non-package tourists from Table 9. The calculations on which this Figure is
based are outlined in Annex E. This illustrates that the airline companies capture one-third
of the whole tourism value chain. Hoteliers in The Gambia benefit from almost one-fifth of
the value chain and food and beverages served in hotels and restaurants one-sixth. Tour
operators command only 12% of the value chain. Activities such as shopping, excursions and
local travel are smaller components of the value chain – but extremely important in terms
of benefits to the local community.
Figure 12:
Gambian Tourism Value Chain
Refer to Appendices E and F for further detail
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