Having just returned from the Gambia yesterday I'm not sure that I went to the same country as the BBC reporter.
Ok, I've only been once before and as recently as last year so I can't comment on what it was like before that but I found the hassling even worse this time.
Yes the official tourist guides are neatly dressed in uniform, and I didn't get bothered by them but there were plenty of others who constantly badgered you for business, whether it be fruit sellers, beach bar owners, taxi drivers or bird guides.A sales ploy adopted by many is to try and lean on your conscience that you owe them a living as you have more money than they have.
Then there are the con artists. One particular gentleman operates in the main road in Kotu right under the noses of the tourist police. He poses as your room cleaner to the unsuspecting new arrivals after dark, hoping for a tip, and at the weekend openly goes around posing as the school teacher, neatly dressed in grey, looking for charitable donations.Relative to average earnings he probably does very well.
The sex trade is still flourishing, plenty of "unusual" matches in obvious evidence, involving both European women and men who appeared to be with good looking young "partners".
We have decided we won't be going back for a while, if at all, if we can find a suitable alternative that offers guaranteed winter sun. Gambia, although relatively inexpensive compared to some destinations is no longer a very cheap destination.

HI ,thanks for posting that,there is very little I can disagree with,the bumsters are a pain in the a-- the sellers are working but they push too much, If your on the beach saying de de jerry jif ,pronounced dayday jerry jif should move them on its a polite no thanks in wollof.If they are a real pain (bumsters) bymar spoken loudly should move them, not all is sex trade ,but sennigambia at night is mostly that.
a waiter on being asked by a white friend if she gave him an 1800 dalasi allowance each month would he continue to work,unsurprisingly he said OH NO with that money I can sit down, lord help Gambia, cheers maxie