EUROPE’S SHOCK HOLIDAY SECRET: Gambia Branded Africa’s Sex-Tourism Hotspot
The Gambia has been thrust into the spotlight amid growing claims that it has become Africa’s biggest sex-tourism destination for older European women.
Widely reported accounts say the tiny West African nation attracts large numbers of female tourists who travel there seeking romance, companionship and in some cases paid sexual relationships with much younger local men known as “bumsters.”
These men are often seen frequenting beaches, hotels and tourist hotspots, where they befriend visiting women and offer attention, company and intimacy, sometimes in exchange for money, gifts or financial support.
The phenomenon has sparked fierce debate, with critics warning of exploitation, power imbalances and damage to the country’s image, while others point to poverty and limited opportunities driving young men into the informal “romance economy.”
Though controversial, the trend has become closely associated with The Gambia’s tourism industry, raising uncomfortable questions about consent, economics and the true cost of paradise holidays.