Angela Colley, Secretary of State for Tourism and Culture, on Saturday, inaugurated the newly built Lemon Creek Hotel and Resort, located at Bijilo, along the Kombo Coastal   Road.

The Lemon Creek Hotel is built in a Spanish-African style with two-storey buildings; and is the first phase of the project, worth over seventy-five million Dalasi (D75M).

In delivering her inaugural statement, Angela Colley, Secretary of State for Tourism and Culture, said global trends in tourism development are constantly changing to meet the demands of the new and sophisticated type of tourists who are yearning to experience new things with a high taste for quality.

She added that “if The Gambia is to compete and position herself firmly in this dynamic business of tourism, we must continuously strive to craft new products to meet the ever- changing tastes of discerning travellers and visitors to our beautiful country”.

According to her, the four pillars of the brand new resort have been anchored on innovation and quality. The Tourism Secretary of State   added that, “It is gratifying to know that the proprietors have invested a lot of resources to the tune of 75 million Dalasi to ensure that this magnificent edifice is completed. I want to seize this opportunity to emphasise that this project, though a private investment further underpins our strong desire to revitalise tourism in terms of quality and standards, with a view to ensuring sustainable development of this vital sector, which by all standards, is poised to contribute meaningfully towards the realisation of Vision 2020”.

“I have been reliably informed that the concept of the Lemon Creek Hotel was first conceived in 2005 and the promoters Mr. Klaus Thomsen, Chairman of Lemon Creek, Mr. Ben Olsen and Sheriff Sawaneh initially planned to execute the project in two phases.   The first phase has been successfully executed with all the necessary facilities including four blocks, 2 suites and 38 rooms.   The second phase is expected to be launched at a later date with a similar scope and magnitude as the first phase,” Tourism SoS revealed.

Madam Colley finally seized the opportunity to thank all those who   contributed in making this dream a success, especially President Yahya  Jammeh, whose personal involvement and support, has made the project a reality.

For his part, Kaliba Senghore, Director-General of the Gambia Tourism Authority (GTA), said the core responsibility of the GTA, is to market and promote The Gambia as a tourist destination. “As part of the mandate of the Authority, the provision of quality control systems, standards, investment and security play a crucial role in the activities of the GTA)”, he added.

According to the GTA boss, tourism development in The Gambia is now supported with the endorsement of the Tourism Masterplan in order to address the changing demands in global tourism.

He described the inauguration of this magnificent edifice as in line with our national vision to make The Gambia a tourist paradise. Claus Thomsen, Chairman of Lemon Creek Hotel, said shareholders and management of the hotel are overwhelmed by the political and socio-economic stability of this beautiful country, under Jammeh’s visionary leadership, notwithstanding the development that government has undertaken for the past 13 years.

He said the hotel will provide 80 beds, including a reception and can create 70 new jobs in the first phase. Other speakers included, Alieu Secka, Chairman Gambia Hotel Association and Alhagie Ardy Sarge, Chairman of the Board of Directors, GTA.

Present at the ceremony, were the speaker of the National Assembly, Honourable   Fatoumatta Jahumpa Ceesay, Ismaila Sambou, SoS for Local Government, Lands and Religious Affairs, Dr. Henry Carrol, Solicitor- General, Kemo Conteh, Director of Local Government, among others.