Product and Market Development Consultant on Tourism & Creative Industries

The expected outputs of the assignment are: Outputs: Submission of monthly reports on all activities accomplished during each month, including facilitation of stakeholders' engagement, technical inputs and support provided on tourism products, marketing and promotion. Timeline: Report to be submitted by the end of each month until December 2026.

Banjul, The Gambia

ASAP to 31.12.26

The International Trade Centre (ITC) is a joint agency of the United Nations (UN) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). It is fully dedicated to supporting the internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It has a mission to foster inclusive and sustainable growth and development through trade and international business development. ITC Headquarters is located in Geneva, Switzerland. ITC is implementing the EU Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) - Tourism and Creative Industries. The project has an overall objective of increasing the competitiveness, inclusiveness, and sustainability of the Tourism sector and Creative Industries in The Gambia. It has three main specific objectives of: a) improving business environment and institutional ecosystem; b) improving investment and market access; and c) increasing the competitiveness of MSMEs in The Gambia’s tourism and creative industries. These will be achieved by implementing a number of key actions, including: i) streamlining and supporting implementation of strategies and regulation for the creative industries; ii) strengthening the technical and operational capacities of business support institutions; iii) building the branding and marketing capacities of actors in the tourism and creative industries; iv) creating market linkages and investment opportunities; v) building capacities of MSMEs engaged in the tourism and creative industries with a focus on sustainable and inclusive tourism; and vi) enhancing skills of target beneficiaries, mainly youth and women in areas which promote their employment in the tourism sector and creative industries. The project addresses a variety of challenges and constraints of the sectors, which include a) weak sector coordination and regulations, b) narrow product offering and sub-standard quality, c) limited market diversification and strong seasonality, d) skill gaps, e) climate vulnerability, and f) low sector integration and limited positive spillover effects of the sectors to the wider economy and society. The implementation of the project will enable the Gambia to diversify source markets and attract more visitors year-round, including tourists with higher purchasing power, and to boost its offering of green and inclusive products and services of the tourism and creative industries. The EU YEP Tourism and Creative Industries is financed by the European Union (EU) for implementation over a period of 56 months. The Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment (MoTIE) and the Ministry of Tourism and Culture (MoTC) are the key focal point government institutions for the project. The project focuses on youth and women as the main target beneficiaries. It also puts a special emphasis on vulnerable groups by creating quality jobs and pathways for skills development, business growth and sustainability. Micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) and public and private sector institutions, including, sector-based cooperatives and associations will be the target beneficiary groups of the project. To support the implementation of product development and marketing for tourism sector and creative industries, ITC is seeking a support consultant to undertake the duties and responsibilities described below. Description of Duties/Responsibilities Under the overall supervision of the Project Manager and the direct guidance of the Senior Technical Expert for Tourism and Creative Industries, in collaboration with the National Project Coordinator, the Product and Market Development Consultant will perform the following tasks: 1. Stakeholder Engagement • Support the planning, organization, and documentation of quarterly Tourism Core Team meetings. • Assist in stakeholder mapping and coordination involving government agencies, private sector actors, municipalities, and development partners. • Support logistics, agenda preparation, reporting, and follow-up actions for the Joint Cross-Border Tourism Workshop with Senegalese counterparts. • Conduct community engagement sessions and stakeholder consultations across thematic tourism interventions. • Participate in monthly project progress and coordination meetings. • Prepare briefing notes, coordination reports, and consolidated technical summaries for the Senior Technical Expert and Lead Tourism Expert. 2. Infrastructure Supervision & Environmental Management • Support technical supervision and monitoring of light infrastructure upgrades in the 7 identified communities (Monkey Park, Ndemban, Jamali, Galoya, Tanji Kayaking, Kankurang Museum, Talamanka Lodge). • Assist with site assessments, progress tracking, quality control, and infrastructure maintenance documentation (including signage and trail enhancements). • Support coordination efforts for developing the waste management framework for tourism zones in collaboration with municipalities, government institutions, and private stakeholders. • Contribute to sustainability guidelines, advisory notes, and best practice documentation for environmentally responsible tourism. 3. Tourism Product Development & Thematic Circuits • Provide technical support for the development of thematic tourism circuits, including mapping and community engagement processes. • Support technical inputs and implementation guidance for Water Sports Programmes and other product diversification initiatives. • Support development of Bird Watching Programmes in partnership with local guides and park authorities. • Assist in documenting lessons learned from field missions and converting them into recommendations. 4. Festival, Event & MICE support • Support the planning and implementation of the JanJangbureh (JJB) Festival 2026 activities. • Assist in developing coordination frameworks for booking systems, marketing materials, and festival logistics (including the evening craft market and Gambian Night). • Support logistical planning and technical preparation for the benchmarking mission to Cape Verde. • Support technical review and validation of MICE, Green Season, and ROOTS Tourism frameworks. • Assist in organizing two national/regional MICE events, including documentation, reporting, and follow-ups. 5. Marketing, Promotion & MSME Support • Support communication with international tour operators and destination marketing agencies. • Provide inputs on MSME participation in fairs and exhibitions. • Support preparation of promotional content and institutional representation logistics for ITB Germany and other tourism forums. • Assist in technical inputs related to the Ninki Nanka Programme and support related community engagement. • Support implementation and monitoring of the MoU with the Gambia Hotel Association (GHA) on institutional strengthening and marketing. 6. Reporting & Documentation • Prepare monthly progress reports. • Assist the Lead Tourism Expert in compiling consolidated technical reports and performance summaries. • Support documentation of activities, lessons learned, and reports across all tourism initiatives. Copyright Clause: The consultant has to ensure that she/he has obtained the necessary permissions with regard to intellectual property rights required to perform his/her services under this consultancy contract and for the subsequent dissemination by ITC in any form. Documentary proof is to be submitted to ITC. Should any license fee be due for the use of copyrighted materials of third parties, the consultant shall request the prior written permission from ITC. ITC champions workforce diversity, inclusion, gender equality and gender parity and considers all qualified persons - of all genders - equally, including those with disabilities, without discrimination or prejudice of any kind.

• Postgraduate degree (MA/MSc/MBA, PHD or other) in Tourism, Culture, Creative Industries, Economics, Development Studies, Social Sciences, Business Administration and/or related fields. • Extensive relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the university degree. • A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in tourism, development projects, cultural and creative industries. Other Experience: • Strong track record of engaging and coordinating partnership with stakeholders, including government, private sector, civil society and development partners. Skills • Sound knowledge of the Gambia tourism sector, its development needs and challenges • Proven programme planning and coordination skills • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills • Public presentation skills in presenting results to stakeholders • Excellent analytical, research, writing and reporting skills • Sound computer literacy (including Microsoft Office tools: Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required. Knowledge of Gambian local languages is an asset.

Not available.