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Gambia Official Tourist Guides (OTGs)

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Information:
Official Tourist Guides in Gambia (OTGs) are uniformed and badged freelance, private tour guides who have gone through a selection and training process, and are bound to abide by a strict code of conduct. They are also licensed by the Gambia Tourism Board.


See also National Tourist Guide Association

The OTG scheme was started in 1997 after discussions with businesses and organisations operating in the tourism sector. It partly came about to address the problem of 'bumsters' (tourist hasslers). A group of bumsters were chosen to undergo training to be OTGs, thus legitimizing the role they played already, while removing the nuisance aspect.

The aims of the OTG scheme are to enhance visitors' holiday experience, improve the job situation of the young, reduce poverty through improved incomes and finally to reduce the pestering of tourists visiting The Gambia.

You can find official tourist guides outside most of the major hotels dotted in the Tourist Development Area (TDA). Most are located at the OTG Station on the end of the Senegambia Strip in Kololi (near the Senegambia and Kairaba hotels).

You can book an OTG for almost anything from a simple task like taking you around the local shops, to something more engaging such as going with you on an up-country trip lasting a number of days. Their fees are fixed for a half-day or full-day; but do remember to agree on incidental costs in advance.

They can be very useful by taking you to locations you may otherwise not know about, revealing and explaining some local customs, and acting as your translator.

There is also a National Tourist Guide Association which you can contact.
 
 

 
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