Hamat Bah said on state television in January that The Gambia, a sunny beach destination favoured by Western tourists especially from Scandinavia, was losing out to the nearby archipelago nation of Cape Verde after gaining a reputation as a sex haven.
"The fact is that this country's image has been battered heavily... I was trying to find out why we are not getting Scandinavian tourists anymore, and I discovered that this country has been considered a sex destination," he had said.
The Thai government last week lodged a formal protest in a strongly worded letter.
Its Culture Minister Veera Rojpojchanarat separately said sex tourism had declined due to measures taken by the government.
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A Gambian foreign ministry statement said it "regrets the unfortunate comments made by the Minister of Tourism and Culture."
It said "measures will be put in place to prevent the occurrence of such an unfortunate incident," adding that the minister's comments should not be "construed as a reflection of the government's view on the tourism sector of Thailand.
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