Sandele Eco lodge and Training Resort was recently officially opened in the village of Kartong, Kombo South, Western Region.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Secretary of State for Tourism and Culture, Mrs. Nancy S. Njie, congratulated the investors Gerri Mitchell, Maurice Philips, the Management of the Sandele Resort, the team of contractors and people of Kartong for a job well done. She said this high-class facility is indeed a source of pride to the tourism industry of The Gambia’s diversification.

“It is my department’s plan to focus on nature, heritage and community-based tourism in order to take Tourism closer to the Gambian people. Tourists no longer want to be confined to the beaches, they want to venture into our communities, they want to meet the Gambian people in order to befriend them and to know them better. They also want to venture into the communities where they can discover the true and real Gambia,” she said.

She also said that infrastructure is necessary in spreading tourism in every part of the country. She believes this will help control the rural-urban drift, as well as provide jobs and enhance the livelihood opportunities of people in these areas.

She implored all stakeholders to ensure that good tourism services are carried out in The Gambia. She assured those gathered of her department’s support in providing certain of the tourism industry’s needs.

For his part, the chairman of Kartong Village Development Committee, Sheikh Omar Jabang, said the resort would help create job opportunities for the natives of Kartong as stated in the MOU with the Resort Management. He expressed his committee’s resolve in making sure that this dream comes true. He called on Tourists to stay in Kartong.