REVIEWS

A guidebook to stand far apart from the others, which merely rattle off lists of sightseeing trips and travel tips – such is Ann-Britt Sternfeldt’s ”The Good Tourist in the Gambia”. Sternfeldt is not only interested in telling us what the Gambia has to offer as a tourist destination. Her ambition stretches to making us ”better tourists”. This is simply a lesson in how two cultures, one rich and one poor, can meet in mutual respect. The book spans subjects dealing with useful basic information to customs and behaviour – a travel guide which she herself terms ”a handbook for the aware tourist”.
                                                                                        Thorbjörn Falk
                                       Travel supplement, Expressen. January 28th, 2001

Everyone who has been a tourist in a Third World country will recognize themselves in Ann-Britt Sternfeldt’ s little book “The Good Tourist in the Gambia”. Its aim is to give good advice for travellers before they embark on an independent holiday – a holiday which benefits the local population. Here a tourist shops in ordinary shops, eats in small restaurants, has clothes made up by the local seamstress and takes a dance course. This tourist does not rent a car from a big international firm but from a local rental company. Or takes a bush taxi, with the conductor hanging off the side. There are not many guidebooks to the Gambia. Ann-Britt Sternfeldt’s book fulfils a need for all categories of visitors to the country. She is well-informed, and the book is an easy, concise read.
                                                      ICA-Kuriren (ICA- Courier). No 20, 2001

Benefiting the local economy, respecting the culture, nature and wildlife, meeting ordinary local people – all these things are possible, even at a mass tourist destination. Ann-Britt Sternfeldt advises her readers to make demands of package operators, for small hotels, not too close to the beach (because of sand erosion, and for the sake of the turtles). She recommends good tour operators, advises against using credit cards because this discriminates against small restaurants and shops, gives a detailed description of customs and etiquette, presents local specialties and handicrafts, recommends activities, excursions, culture and wildlife. The contacts list is a useful extra, as is the bibliography. The book is nicely designed and easily navigated, as well as light and handy to pack for the journey.
                                                Guld och Grus (Gold and Gravel). No 1, 2001

Ann-Britt Sternfeldt writes travel guides giving more concrete advice on how we can behave with more consideration as tourists, by paying attention to everything from the environment to the local culture. What’s surprising is that, instead of the expected deluge of PC waffle, she provides very useful and memorable information about the country and its people. The guide to the Gambia contains all the facts one badly needs, interspersed with small anecdotes about the country, the food, travelling around, and customs and behaviour. If you want to discover something real about these countries, you’ll find plenty of good advice in this book. And all hats should be taken off to Ann-Britt Sternfeldt for a thoroughly good attempt to halt the exploitative side of tourism in its tracks.
               Mina Benaissa, Bif – Biblioteket i Fokus (Library in Focus). No 3, 2001

”The Good Tourist” is a new publishing company founded by Ann-Britt Sternfeldt late last year. She noticed the lack of travel literature aimed at helping the individual traveller to make a stand, and to choose a way of travelling which benefits both the populace and wildlife and the environment. There are certainly lectures in her books which one can choose to get hung up about, but her language is straightforward and simple, and most importantly she gives the traveller a great deal of concrete advice. She manages to fit in plenty of material covering history, ecotourism, wildlife, handicrafts, cuisine and voluntary organisations whose help one can call upon in destination countries to discover other aspects than those shown in the glossy tourist brochures.
                Lenita Jällhage, Dagens Nyheter (Daily News). September 9th, 2001