HOTEL ASTA KEBE IN TAMBACOUNDA PAVING THE WAY FOR A SUCCESSFUL TOURIST SEASON


A Fully refurbished and well equipped Hotel Asta Kebe is poised to rekindle tourism activities in Eastern Senegal. Trainng sessions for all catagories of staff has since commenced with the ultimate objective of providing a successful season for tourists visiting the region of Tambacounda, Senegal.

 

By Alpha Jallow in Tambacounda

 

Tambacounda is the largest region in Eastern Senegal. It lies across major transit hubs linking Senegal to four of their neighboring countries; The Gambia, Guinea-Conakry, Mali and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. The region also has an Airport which is operational throughout the year with routine air services from Dakar to Tambacounda on daily basis.

 
Tambacounda is also the home to the famous Niokolo-Koba Game Park. This 900,000 hactre of thick woods is one of the most beautiful sceneries in Eastern Senegal. Most tourists who visit the region come purposely for sight seeing and hunting. The tourist peak season runs from December to April.

 
But inspite of its natural beauty, the region is one of the poorest in terms infrastructure: Road networks are very poor. For example the principal road from Kaolack to Tambacounda is in appalling condition with most tourists cancelling their bookings.
The land of the Bassaris, the Budiks and the Dialonkes in the mountainous regions of Kedougou and the Fota Dialong remains inaccessible due to poor roads.


It is against this backdrop that Hotel Asta Kebe took the initiative to launch a campaign to improve the tourist sector in the region. The Hotel which was built in 1973 by Italian architects is the biggest but oldest hotels in the entire region with mutiple rooms of all standard.

 
The New management of the hotel has been given it a facelift with a view to having a successful tourist season. "We are spending lot money to refurbish the Hotel to meet International standard. For the past month or so, we have been engaged in training our staff and other tour operators. I believe as hoteliers, we should also sensitize the local people on the importance of tourism. Many people think tourism is a question of staying in hotels and enjoying ones fortune. No, tourism is more than that. If a tourist leaves the hotel premises and buys for example, roasted peanuts from an old woman, he or she is contributing to the economy of the nation. In short, tourism is a national issue and all hands must be put on deck for a successful tourism industry in Senegal, particularly Tambacounda,” Mr.Daouda Niang the General Manager of Hotel Asta Kebe told Senegambianews.

 
He added that no stone will be left unturned for a successful season. Mr.Niang paid tribute to the Syndicate of Tourism Initiative which have come together to form a common platform to air their views. The Syndicate of Tourism Initiative is composed of experienced hoteliers from the region of Tambacounda. Apart from Hotel Asta Kebe, there are other good looking hotels such as Nigi Hotel, The Oasis Hotel, Hotel Relais of Tambacounda and a mushroom of motels and guest houses.