Thailand and The Gambia have discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in sustainable tourism development, with a focus on knowledge-sharing, low-carbon tourism, and greater opportunities for local communities, women and young people.
During a visit to The Gambia on August 27, 2026, Thailand’s Ambassador to Dakar, Nipa Nirandnunt, hosted a working lunch at The Thai Restaurant with Alhaji Sheikh Tejan Nyang, founder of the Institute of Travel and Tourism of The Gambia (ITTOG) and Chairman of the ECOWAS Tourism Committee responsible for hotel classification and tourism standards.
Thai embassy officials, ITTOG instructors and a coordinator from the Ninki Nanka Encounters Foundation also attended the meeting.
Ambassador Nipa praised The Gambia’s continued efforts to strengthen its tourism sector and highlighted the Thailand-Africa Initiative (TAI) as a platform through which Thailand could support The Gambia by sharing tourism expertise and experience.
She proposed an online discussion involving the Thai Embassy, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), ITTOG and the International Trade Centre (ITC) to build on a community-leader training programme on low-carbon tourism held in The Gambia in 2025 with support from Thai agencies.
The proposed cooperation would focus on sharing Thailand’s experience in reducing carbon emissions across the tourism industry and promoting more sustainable tourism practices. Ambassador Nipa also stressed the importance of creating meaningful opportunities for women and young people to participate in and benefit from the tourism sector.
Nyang welcomed the proposal and praised Thailand’s tourism capabilities and human resources. He also outlined the economic and social challenges facing The Gambia and ITTOG’s efforts to build the country’s tourism capacity, particularly by creating jobs and income opportunities for local communities and younger generations.
He emphasized the importance of developing an enabling environment for tourism growth, including improved connectivity and ease of travel, quality accommodation, and stronger knowledge and skills among tourism organizations and professionals working alongside local communities.
The discussions reflect growing interest in strengthening Thailand-Gambia cooperation through tourism, an area seen as having potential to support economic development, community livelihoods and sustainable growth.
By combining Thailand’s tourism experience with The Gambia’s local expertise and community-based initiatives, both sides aim to explore practical cooperation that can make tourism more inclusive, environmentally sustainable and beneficial to local communities.
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