The Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Mrs. Nabilla Tunis on Thursday 1st August 2024 informed the media that the outcome of their recent visits to the Zambia and Zimbabwe respectively would create job opportunities, harness productive talents and trainings in Sierra Leone, commended the media for been a reliable partner and that the partnership would be enhanced for further collaboration.
She made the statement at the conference room of the Ministry on King Harman Road in Freetown while updating the media on the outcome of the recent visit to Zambia and Zimbabwe respectively reiterating that regular engagements with the media would help improve the sector and admonished the media to report positive things about the country.
According to the Minister, the four-member delegation from Sierra Leone participated in the 67th CAF Regional Meeting at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Zambia that was attended by 30 Tourism Ministers and Deputies highlighting that the meeting gave them the opportunity to discuss among others rebranding the sector in Africa, enhance movement and connectivity and visa waivers within the continent disclosing that their discussions included several layers to rebrand the tourism sector including interactions with the First Ladies of the Zambia and Angola.
She continued that they also highlighted the reforms taking place in the sector in Sierra Leone, strengthening relationships with other countries and organizations including the United Nations World Tourism Organization to which Sierra Leone has been admitted as co-member, held bilateral meetings with other countries and organizations affirming that all these engagements have raised the country’s profile internationally as they exchanged best practices and lessons learnt.
Mrs. Nabilla Tunis further revealed that African countries must not compete against each other in the sector but rather collaborate, that the meetings discussed comparative advantages countries have in the sector, mentioned challenges affecting the sector like shortage of manpower, education, advocacy, conservation, restoration and disclosed that the Ministry would hold consultations with the UN World Tourism Organization in the coming years intimating that the UN body is supporting member-countries citing the construction of the Hospitality School in Zimbabwe.
She went on to disclose that Tour Operators would develop packages that should be disseminated in the media, that the Zambia has invited Sierra Leone to its cultural festival next year, that Sierra Leone has proposed to host the third UN Gastronomy Conference in 2026 that would increase arrivals in the country and underscored other issues discussed like the Women in Tourism Conference requested by female Tourism Ministers to be hosted in Ghana in October this year to brainstorm and further shape the sector intimating that women account for 67% of workers in the sector.
The General Manager of the National Tourist Board, Fatmata Kamara affirmed that the conferences have positioned the country on the frontline, that the global tourism budget is $20 trillion, that no two countries are the same in terms of tourism and that they advocated for one firmly united and unique continent as well as changing public perception about the continent. She also underlined the need to travel within the continent, availability of reliable data on the sector, appealed to government for more support, that the outcomes of their foreign engagements would be domesticated in different countries, that they shared their strategic plan with other countries all in an effort to rebrand Africa stressing that this is a new era for tourism in Sierra Leone.
Fatmata Kamara added that they signed Memorandums of Understandings (MoU) with the Zambia and that a high-level UN delegation would visit the country next year.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Kwamie Yankson, who chaired the event, underscored the responsibility of the Ministry to report to the people through the media about its activities especially after oversees visits that are sponsored through public funds.
He further stated that the recent visits to Zambia and Zimbabwe were the best so far as the delegation returned home with a lot of goodies.
