The Juffureh/Albreda Community Development Committee last Saturday receives the Board of Trustee of Developing and Sustainable Excursion to Jufurreh/Albreda project at the community hall in Juffureh.

Developing and Sustainable Excursion to Jufurreh/Albreda, is a project sponsored by Travel Foundation (TF), a charitable organization based in the UK. Travel Foundation according to Adama Bah, Program Manager of TF, is supported by various tour operators especially some of the UK based tour operators coming to The Gambia. The partnership comprises The Gambia Hotel Association; ASSET; GTTA, tour operators, GTA among others. He said one of the major objectives of Responsible Tourism Partnership (RTP) is to look at the negative impacts of tourism and find a better solution to it.

This is what is referred to as “multi-stakeholders participating in tourism development,” he stated. Developing and Sustainable Excursion to Jufurreh/Albreda project called for prompt action due to series of complaints and threatenings by tour operators to stop Juffureh/Albreda excursion due to some amount of assaults from villagers. Adama Bah therefore stated that the main purpose of the inaugural meeting was to enable the Board of Trustee get a chance to meet Juffureh/Albreda Community Development Committee in order to avail them of the progress made in the project since November 2008 when it was established.

The Trust Foundation program manager outlined some of the impacts of the project on both tourists and the communities. He later advised the two communities to always be pleased to welcome visitors to the communities without any form of assault. Bah thanked Hon. Omar Cherno Jallow, NAM for Upper Niumi for his care and steadfastness more especially towards the two communities. He also commended the two Alkalos for their commitment towards the project and their entire communities.

Hon. Cherno Jallow, NAM for Upper Nuimi applauded Travel Foundation for their laudable initiative and urged others to emulate them. He spoke at length on the cordial relation between the two communities and their importance as cultural destinations for tourists as well as bieng the stronghold of the constituency. He further implored on the villagers to see to the development of the project as it belongs to the communities. Lumbatu Samateh, a ward councillor in the area, said the development of the communities should be a major concern for all. She sought for the development of the market in order to attract more investors to the communities.

Cherno Saidy shared similar sentiment with the councillor and added that failure to patronise the market vendors warranted some sellers at the market to run after tourists to sell their materials. The inaugural meeting of the Board of Trustee brought together members of the VDC, craft vendors, tourist guides, and as well as some stakeholders.

Musa Dem and Jainaba Beyai from the GTA, Badou Bob of ASSET, Mamadi Faal of JAYS and Jainaba Darboe of VSO among others attended the meeting.