Project: Tourism Diversification and Resilience in The Gambia Project (TDRGP)
Project ID No.: IDA-E0530
Reporting to: Project Director
Duration: 12 Months .
Introduction
The Government of The Gambia, in collaboration with the World Bank, is implementing the Tourism Diversification and Resilience in The Gambia Project (TDRGP), supported by IDA Investment Project Financing (IPF). The project is being executed over five years and aims to strengthen the competitiveness, inclusiveness, and resilience of The Gambia’s tourism sector through institutional reform, strengthening the enabling environment and capacity, improved market linkages and diversification, MSME support, and sustainable coastal and riverine infrastructure.
Under Component 1:Strengthening Institutional and Policy Frameworks, the TDRGP supports the implementation of The Gambia’s Draft National Tourism Policy & Strategy 2021–2031 (NTPS), which calls for diversification of the tourism product base and markets. The Gambia has an international reputation as a beach-tourism destination and for its winter sun and tropical environment, but it also has underutilized opportunities for river tourism such as birdwatching, ecotourism, and adventure tourism. The Gambia’s tourism sector contributes to about 30 percent of its exports and employs about 12 percent of its workforce. However, the industry is highly seasonal, and the sector was severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused a 66 percent decline in international arrivals and receipts in 2020. The Gambia needs to revitalize its
tourism industry by attracting a more diverse set of visitors and increasing their length of stay and spending. Most important, The Gambia, through its NTPS, aspires to increase its tourist season and reduce reliance on budget-oriented, package tourism from international tour operators (ITOs).
The River Gambia – extending from the capital city of Banjul on the Atlantic Coast through Janjanbureh to Basse and beyond – offers a high-potential tourism corridor for experiential nature, culture, soft adventure, and river-based recreation. This assignment will shape the River Gambia Tourism Corridor as a coherent destination, improving access, facilities, services, and
investment readiness while safeguarding ecosystems and local interests and driving tangible benefits to gateway communities.
ObjectiveoftheAssignment
OverallObjective
To plan and activate the development of the River Gambia Tourism Corridor as a sustainable, high-quality experiential destination, through a coordinated strategy, enabling infrastructure improvements, management systems, market-ready products, and bankable investment opportunities.
Specific Objectives
Prepare a River Gambia Sustainable Tourism Corridor Strategy and Development Plan (corridor-wide) and an Implementation Action Plan.
Prioritize and prepare feasibility studies for enabling infrastructure that facilitates river- based access and experiences including priority access points and key terrestrial and marine infrastructure that is required.
Establish a River Tourism Corridor Management Plan with zoning, safety, and environmental and social safeguards.
Refine existing pre-feasibility studies for prioritized river-based investments (including day and overnight cruise products).
Identify and propose additional river-experience products. and conduct pre-feasibility studies for prioritized investments.
Package priority investments and promote them to targeted investors in partnership with The Gambia Investment & Export Promotion Agency (GIEPA) and GT Board.
ScopeofWorkandKeyTasks
The consultant or firm will work closely with the GT Board, the TDRGP Project Implementation Unit (PIU), GIEPA and key partners to undertake the following tasks:
PhaseI:StrategyandPlanning
Task 1: Inception, Spatial Baseline and InstitutionalFramework(Month1)
Purpose: establish shared understanding, confirm scope, and compile a geospatial baseline.
Task 2: River Gambia Sustainable Tourism Corridor Strategy and Development Plan (Month 2–5)
Purpose: To define vision, zoning and investment roadmap for the River Gambia Tourism Corridor.
Task 3: Feasibility Studies of Enabling Infrastructure (Month 5–6)
Purpose: To prepare decision-ready concepts for investments in priority infrastructure.
The firm will be selected in accordance with guidelines for the recruitment of Quality and Cost Based Selection (QCBS) Method set out in the Procurement Regulations; World Bank Procurement Regulations (PR) for IPF Borrowers, Seventh Edition dated February 2025.
Potential applicants may obtain further information at the address below during office hours 0800hrs to 1600hrs from Monday to Thursday and Friday 0800hrs to 12:30hrs and to review the Terms of Reference via email from HYPERLINK “mailto:”.
Expressions of interest must be delivered to the address below (in person, or by mail) by Thursday 2nd July 2026 at 16:00pm Gambian Time.
