The Gambia has announced that it wants to shed its reputation as a sex tourism hotspot for older women travelling there from Britain and Europe in search of younger men.
Officials hope tourists will instead focus on some of the West African nation’s other draws, such as its two Unesco World Heritage sites and vibrant wildlife. The country has 560 bird species.
“What we want is quality tourists,” Abubacarr Camara, director of the Gambia Tourism Board, said. “Tourists that come to enjoy the country and the culture, but not tourists that come just for sex.”
The former British colony is known as a destination where young men are willing to have sex with older British women for money. Sex tourism began to rise in the 1990s with budget package tours to the nation, which has a population of about 2.5 million.
Some of the brief relationships are arranged in advance online. The young men then meet the women at Banjul International, the Gambia’s only airport, based in the capital.
The young men, known as “bumsters”, also scout the beach in search of older women, with the “Senegambia strip” near Banjul a popular spot for this activity.
Most tourists visit during the winter on package deals. More affluent, younger tourists who want a more refined winter trip are now being targeted by the tourist board. Tourist officials met with British Airways and tour operators in the UK this summer to discuss increasing flights between London and Banjul.
The government in the Gambia is said to be considering laws to deter the young men involved in the sex trade. Officials have also urged the UK government to prevent older British women exploiting young Gambian boys.
Lamin Fatty, national co-ordinator at the Child Protection Alliance, told The Daily Telegraph: “The high commission has shown some engagement. But it’s not only about engagement, we also need financial and technical assistance. There could be much better collaboration between both countries to put solutions in place.”
Tourism is the fastest growing sector in the Gambian economy, bringing in about 20 per cent of GDP.

The best comment from Times readers:
Well this explains the cheerful postcards from Granny !

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