Evaluation of initial impacts of the Gambia competitiveness project

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https://research.brighton.ac.uk/en/projects/evaluation-of-initial-impacts-of-gcps-tourism-support-in-the-gamb

Established March 2023

 

 

The Growth and Competitiveness Project (GCP) was financed by an International Development Association (IDA) Grant over a period of five years (2010-2015). Its key expected outcomes were:

  • the implementation of investment climate reforms to reduce the entry barriers and operating costs for businesses
  • enhanced access to finance and private investment flows
  • improved business performance especially for firms in the tourism and hospitality sectors
  • linkages between small producers and domestic and international markets.

The support for tourism development was one of the sub-components of the Growth and Competitiveness Project. Activities under this component have been implemented by a public private Tourism Marketing Committee (TMC) through the Gambia Tourism Board (GTBoard).

The objective of this sub-component is to improve the tourism industry’s performance and increase the contribution towards the country’s economic growth and poverty alleviation. The project supported consultants’ services, training and workshops, goods and operational costs for the following activities:

  • strengthening tourism destination promotion and marketing to support current initiatives for re-positioning The Gambia from a package tour destination to one which attracts a high yield mix of travellers.
  • technical assistance for the Gambia Tourism and Hospitality Institute (GTHI) to meet its demand for skill graduates. The project complemented this support through technical assistance for capacity development to restructure The Gambia Hotel School into an industry-led and managed Gambia Tourism and Hospitality Institute, based on an agreed business plan for the GTHI, a project on which Professor Novelli had previously contributed.

Project timeframe

This research project commenced in 2010 and ended in 2015.

Project aims

This project focused on evaluating the initial impacts of the tourism component of the Gambia Competitiveness Project and aimed to:

  • evaluate the contribution of GCP’s tourism-supported activities in the tourism sector and especially to tourist arrivals in both traditional and non-traditional source markets
  • evaluate the TMC’s marketing initiatives and document the lessons learned during such promotional campaigns
  • assess the likely impacts of the tourism support including the GTHI; outlining sustainability strategies
  • evaluate the institutional arrangements of the tourism support with a view to highlighting issues that may require corrective/promotional measures.

Project findings and impact

The project provided a full evaluation of the Initial Impacts of Gambia Competitiveness Project (Tourism Component - USD3M World Bank’s investment) with policy and funding implications for the future.

Research team

Professor Marina Novelli

Output

Partners