Gender Assessment of the Gambian Tourism Sector

Investment Rating - The report does not explicitly provide an investment rating for the tourism sector in The Gambia Core Insights - The tourism sector in The Gambia presents significant opportunities for women's participation, entrepreneurship, and leadership, but faces challenges such as low pay, informal business structures, and risks of exploitation [9][12] - Women in tourism are more likely to be employers compared to other sectors, yet they encounter barriers including lack of skills, restrictive gender norms, and discriminatory hiring practices [9][12] - The assessment highlights a gender gap in employment, with women constituting 35% of full-time employees in tourism, compared to 65% for men, resulting in a gender gap of 29 percentage points [9][10] - The report emphasizes the need for improved data collection and targeted interventions to address gender disparities in the tourism sector [10][11] Summary by Sections Executive Summary - The tourism sector offers opportunities for women's participation and entrepreneurship, but challenges persist, including low pay and risks of exploitation [9] - Women face barriers such as lack of skills and discriminatory hiring practices, which contribute to lower participation rates [9] - The assessment documents gender disparities and key issues hindering women's participation and earnings in tourism [9] Introduction - The travel and tourism sector is a significant contributor to The Gambia's GDP and job creation, particularly for women [12] - The assessment aims to understand women's participation in tourism and the underlying barriers to better economic outcomes [12] Methodology - The Gender Gap Analysis examines women's participation in tourism through employment, entrepreneurship, and leadership [16] - Data collection involved desk research, stakeholder mapping, and interviews with key informants in the tourism sector [20][23] The Gambia Context - The Gambia's tourism is primarily sun and sea focused, with limited diversification into eco-tourism and cultural tourism [28] - The sector has faced challenges due to climate change, COVID-19 impacts, and a lack of infrastructure [28][29] Gender Gap Analysis - The analysis reveals significant gender disparities in employment, entrepreneurship, and leadership within the tourism sector [9][10] - Women are underrepresented in leadership roles, with only 8.6% of parliamentary seats held by women [10] Recommendations - The report provides recommendations for advancing gender equality in tourism, including enhancing skills development, diversifying tourism activities, and improving data collection [11][15] - The World Bank's Tourism Diversification and Resilience in The Gambia Project aims to strengthen the tourism sector and integrate gender actions [14][15]