I regularly read about the fall in tourism in The Gambia being attributed to Ebola or some other prevailing event.   However, I don't believe that this is the full story.

I have been to The Gambia over a dozen times and it is my favorite holiday destination. I have recommended it to many of my friends but not one has followed my recommendation.  When I investigate the reasons further, not a single one has said they are afraid of Ebola.  Instead, every single one complains about the prices of Gambia Experience flights.  I realize that Thomas Cook also flies there at reasonable prices, but they don't operate all year round.

I was hoping to go to The Gambia at the end of April with a few friends to celebrate my birthday, and was horrified at the cost, compared to other countries.  To show you my point, I did a search of flights from London Gatwick to various countries, all further than The Gambia to compare prices.  All flights are on 23^rd April, 2016, and the flight return is on the 7^th day; In the case of Gambia Experience, it is the first flight after this date.   Here are the results:

Sri Lanka- £474 with Emirates

South Africa- £525 with Flysharp

Senegal- £403 with BudgetAir

The Gambia- £619 with Gambia Experience

I cannot understand why The Gambia is so expensive to fly to.   It is crying out for more tourists but Gambia Experience seems to be either discouraging people from visiting there, or only catering for wealthier visitors.

About the author

Vincent Benedict is a hypnotherapist and considered to be the top therapist in the UK for Anxiety Disorders.  He has nearly 30,000 fans on his Facebook page.

Vincent first visited The Gambia about 25 years ago, because he was interested in the history of Kunta Kinte and Juffureh. He has visited the country 14 times with his family and owns a piece of land in Medina Salaam.