Each year, mature women flock to The Gambia in search of a holiday romance with a local toyboy, leaving authorities to despair over the country’s nickname, ‘The Gran-bia’
As Brits up and down the country jet off in the hope of finding holiday romance, a number of grans have just one destination in mind.
The Gambia, officially known as the Republic of The Gambia, has long had a reputation for attracting lusty OAPs, who flock to the West African country in search of toyboys.
Affordable package holiday deals at the main resorts are certainly part of the draw, but for these mature women, it’s the prospect of meeting young men on the sun-kissed beaches that has them packing their bikinis in droves.
To the frustration of authorities, who are working to crack down on geriatric sex tourism, The Gambia has earned an unwelcome nickname over the years – ‘The Gran-bia’.
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For those like Barbara, from Dartford, Kent, a trip to The Gambia is about having “a bit of fun”. Speaking previously with The Sun, the 65-year-old said: “I don’t know what all the fuss is about. I’m not doing anything illegal. If you go to somewhere like Thailand you see loads of old men with young girls, but no one talks about that.
“The minute a woman gets together with a younger man, there’s an uproar, and we’re called cougars and sex tourists and all that. I came here for a bit of fun, and I’m not harming anyone. If I want to take a good-looking bloke to my hotel room, it’s no one’s business but my own.”
There are, however, other Western women who are after something more serious, and say they’ve genuinely fallen in love with their Gambian toyboy. This includes Heidi Hepworth, 51, who even converted to Islam to tie the knot with fiancé Mamadou Salieu Jallow, back in 2018, even ending her 23-year marriage in the process.
During an appearance on ITV’s Loose Women at the time, Heidi shared: “No one imagined this would last, but we love each other and are making plans to marry. I’ve never been happier. It was daunting at first. I got on the plane and thought ‘Oh my God, what have I done?’ But then I got there, and he met us off the plane with his brother and friend, and it was alright. It was magical.”
Back in 2020, Channel 4 viewers were shocked by a documentary titled Sex On The Beach, which showed bars filled with elderly white women searching for younger Gambian men, in scenes some social media users found “disturbing”. One pensioner told reporter Seyi Rhodes that the country was “paradise” as they could have a different man every single night.
Among those interviewed was P, who claimed she’d travelled out to The Gambia four times in one year alone.
When asked whether she felt immoral about her choices, the 60-year-old responded: “I don’t feel morally nothing. It’s my noo-noo. I do what I want with my noo-noo. You’ve got to kiss how many frogs before you find your prince.
“I’ve done it so many times I have a bingey drink, one night stand then say take your socks and everything and go, bye.”
Reflecting on the scenes he was confronted with, broadcaster Seyi remarked: “What I do find troubling when I see these unequal relationships on the beach is that racial imbalance and the history of this country, the centre of slavery. You can’t ignore that. When you speak to people they say over and ever again, ‘This is only because we’re poor’.”
The Gambia is a stunning country with breathtaking beaches and parks teeming with wildlife. From delicious cuisine to a rich history and culture, there is plenty here for visitors to enjoy.
However, it’s feared that the country’s reputation as a real-life ‘Tinder’ for pensioners could be holding it back from becoming a family-friendly destination.
Unfortunately, the widespread poverty across The Gambia creates a power gap between the elderly sex tourists and the younger men whose company they seek. Although sex work is illegal in The Gambia, men who entertain these so-called cougars could well receive potentially “life-changing” financial gifts that could help support their struggling families.
Ali Cham has seen first-hand the older women looking for their paramours on the Senegambia Strip, where he plays at music venues, and says the impoverished men want to accept the opportunity presented to them.
The dad-of-five explained: “People are dying at sea in the search of a better life – and it’s both men and women trying to escape. Many of those left behind have little choice but to go out and look for Westerners that can support them.
“The men are not working as prostitutes, it’s more that the women have a financial advantage that is appealing. The £1,000 they change into local currency is a lot of money here, and that makes these guys want to be with them.”
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