Posted by 
The Corona virus hit the world in December 2019, and by 2020 most businesses had been crippled. And tourism is not an exception to that. The Gambia depends heavily on tourism and the 2019-2020 was a disaster for the tourism sector in The Gambia. The situation had compelled most employers to lay off their staff.
But despite the challenges brought by covid-19, the Management of Bintang Bolong Lodge has devised a way to overcome the pandemic by encouraging local tourism. In a chat with Ebrima Solo Drammeh, the Manager of the Lodge, said he came up with an initiative to encourage local tourism. “But, it is paying dividends because even though no much European tourists are coming, the local peoples are coming,” he said. Drammeh said many local people visit the lodge during weekends which encourages them reduce the prices as local tourists. This is to ensure that more local people are able to come and enjoy themselves and this reduction will go until the end of the year,” he added.
The lodge even though , is a business entity; it never loses its social responsibilities. According to Ebrima Solo Drammeh, during the pandemic, four Villages were supported by the lodge. With the little profits the lodge is making and support from partners, those Villages were supported with bags of rice.
The moved by Bintang Bolong Lodge and its Management to encourage local tourism would not have come at a better time than this. The covid-19 had created difficulties on many families in the country. Business is not all about making money but the welfare of society is also considered.
And a local company like Enterprise Group Limited is one of the companies that is patronising the Bintang Bolong lodge. Over the weekend, the company took it’s staff to the lodge for outing. This is business supporting business during covid-19. Thus encouraging local tourism is vital particularly during crisis like the covid-19 pandemic.
The lodge is unique and environmentally friendly. The food is mouthwatering and fresh. If you want to enjoy with your family and friends, Bintang Bolong lodge is a place to be.