By Nasratu Kargbo
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs has revealed plans to introduce the first-ever national Tourism Act in the country. Memunatu Pratt was speaking during the United Nations World Tourism Day on the 27th September 2021 in Freetown.
She said the new act will mirror Sierra Leone to the world as“it is going to be a master document”. According to Pratt, this Act will enable the sector not just to have partners and businesses, but to have a unified document. She explained that the act will be quite different from the National Development of Tourism Act of 1990.
Speaking on the importance of tourism, Pratt stated that no matter what one does, it has relationship with tourism, which according to the Minister was the missing link. She stated that the ministry wants to re-establish, the framework which should be used to achieve the re-established “goal 17 of the SDG”.
In addition, the Minister said Tourism has been a developmental tool for many countries. "This sector is not just a leading source for employers, women, and youths; it also provides opportunities for peace and national cohesion and socio-economic inclusion for the most vulnerable regions. Statistics have shown that tourism accounts for more than 10 percent of global GDP and 30 percent of the world's trade in services," she said.
The Principal Milton Magai Technical University Dr. Philip Kanu said: “tourism defines us; it makes people know where we are coming from, based on our culture.” When explaining the importance of tourism, Kanu stated that tourism is a multifaceted programme and that it is inter-related with other ministries. He explained that before now the tourism ministry used to be a dormant ministry that people do not want to lead, however, he said the ministry is flourishing today.
The Principal spoke on the need to get well-educated people to handle the tourism sector, stating that a research conducted shows that the country has few professionals in the sector. He made comparisons to other countries where guests are treated well. Kanu appreciated the Minister of tourism for her efforts in the reconstruction of the only tourism school. “After 11 to 15 years when the only tourism school in this country is run by the government was abandoned, it was this minster that said that if we want people to see us seriously we must invest in that area,” he said. The Principal was proud to say that in a month or two a state of the art tourism school will be commissioned, while assuring the minister that Milton Margai Technical University will produce trained people.
Speaking at the event, the Deputy Minister of Information and Communications, Solomon Jamiru said that art and culture have an important role to play in national development saying “if you ask me what the theme for today’s occasion should be, I would ask us as Sierra Leoneans let’s turn to art and culture”.
The deputy Minister explained that returning to arts and culture could be demonstrated in the many ways. “The way we dress, the food we eat and how we eat it, the way we talk, that’s why for me there could be no driver for development if we don’t love ourselves and unify our country,” he said. He said if the country is divided into tribal, regional and political lines, efforts of boosting the sector will go in vain. Jamiru preached about the promotion of peace and love as a way to empower the sector.
The theme for this year’s celebration is “Tourism for inclusive growth in achieving SDGs and agenda 2030 in post COVID-19 era.”
September 27th was declared by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in 1980 as a special day for the celebration of tourism and to promote public awareness of the immense contributions of tourism to the socio-economic growth of nations, but to also promote peace and socio-cultural cohesion globally to reflect on the challenges faced by the tourism and hospitality industry.
According to a report from the ministry of tourism’s communications unit, the ministry and its stakeholders have consistently been organizing the celebration of the UN World Tourism Day in an effort to raise awareness on tourism’s contribution to livelihood, job creation and revenue generation.
This year’s observance of the World Tourism Day was marked by regional dialogues hosted in Kenema, Bo and Makeni to recognize the role of tourism in fair trade and climate action, to gender equality, indigenous rights and opportunities for youth.
Copyright © Politico Online (29/09/21)
