Stone Circles and Atlantic Forts: Tourism and Management of Gambia’s World Heritage Sites

Abstract

Since independence, tourism has been a growing sector of the Gambian economy. It began and largely is still defined by “sun and beach” tourists from Europe. It was not until after the 1994 coup that serious efforts were made to diversify this sector. This was largely an effort to tap into the growing African diaspora tourism industry and involved the development of heritage sites under the management of the National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC). Central to this was the designation of two UNESCO World Heritage Areas within the small river nation. The first, James Island and Related Sites, focuses on the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the early colonial capital of Banjul. All sites in this grouping relate to either the slave trade or its abolition and thus are marketed to African diaspora tourists. The second group, Stone Circles of the Senegambia, includes sites in the Gambia and Senegal offering a different set of challenges for management and promotion. Additionally, while the first group of sites are relatively accessible and attracted a significant number of tourists prior to the designation, the stone circles are less accessible and receive fewer visitors. This chapter assesses the progress of the NCAC development of these heritage sites in relation to the growth of tourism in the Gambia. In particular, we address the challenges of maintenance, visitation and interpretation.