The Gambia is pleading with UK grandmothers to stay away from the country if they are there to seek toyboy lovers while touring West Africa.
A new plea from the Gambian Tourist Board has warned off "sex tourism", with an official for the board claiming the country wants only "quality tourists".
Commonly spotted in The Gambia are elderly residents of the UK swanning around nightclubs and streets with younger lovers, with the country holding a reputation for being a sex haven for grannies.
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Locals are sincerely hoping to change that reputation, with a fresh start that would bring in those aforementioned "quality tourists" and not sex-seeking grandmothers.
Abubacarr S. Camara, director of the Gambia Tourism Board, said: "What we want is quality tourists. Tourists that come to enjoy the country and the culture, but not tourists that come just for sex."
Thomas Cook's cheap flights to the former British colony and the budget holidays provided to The Gambia are said to have given way to the rise of sex tourism.
It's a type of tourism that has outlived that of Thomas Cook, which went under in 2019, and survived through the coronavirus pandemic.
Locals and business owners within The Gambia have said the sex-crazed grannies have caused a decrease in the country's reputation.
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Annette Griffin, a family-friendly pub owner in The Gambia, said that the place had become a haven for older women hoping to find a toyboy lover, which has stopped families from holidaying there, The Telegraph reported.
Annette said: "Most of the tourists that come here, come for sex tourism. But apart from the seedy side of it, there is a nice side to The Gambia. I came here nine years ago on holiday and have stayed ever since."
Gambian "bumsters" are often on the prowl for older women, with the term describing men searching beaches for grandmothers hoping to bag a toyboy.
Tourist guide Kausu Samateh added that poverty makes the sex tourism an increasing issue, saying: "People are poor here, so they have no choice. They think it is better to go to Europe where they will have a better life. They hope that the old ladies will take them."
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