Gambia Community Lodge Wins African Responsible Tourism Award
July 21, 2026
The Tendaba community eco-lodge in The Gambia has been honoured with the African Responsible Tourism Award in the Community Benefit category — a recognition of its exemplary model that channels ecotourism revenue directly into local education, healthcare and infrastructure.
The lodge, managed by a cooperative of 40 community members from five surrounding villages, employs exclusively local staff, sources all food from community farms and reinvests 30% of profits into a community development fund.
WAEN Executive Secretary praised the lodge as a "model for the entire West African region to emulate" and announced plans to document the lodge's approach as a case study for other community tourism enterprises.