By Theresa Kef Sesay
The Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs and its implementing agency, the National Tourist Board, in their unrelenting drive to improving the performance of Sierra Leone’s tourism sector, have concluded a domestic tourism messaging and content development workshop with key stakeholders at the Family Kingdom Resort, Aberdeen in Freetown on the 22nd June, 2021.
The World Bank in its Sierra Leone Economic Diversification Project (SLEDP), identified product development, marketing and promotion as one of the components that will take an integrated destination approach to improve the tourism industry, facilitate the reduction of barriers to business success, assist existing tourism providers with market access and improve the quality of selected tourism products in order to place the country’s tourism sector on a sustainable and inclusive growth trajectory.
Lucinda Kargbo, the Marketing Manager of the National Tourist Board in explaining the purpose of the workshop said they are rolling out domestic tourism by developing a messaging and content strategy for local and international dissemination using the right channels.
Allieu Kokobaye, Chairman of the National Tourist Board, in his brief remarks noted that the workshop is a step in the right direction as it aims at adding to the development of tourism. He said domestic tourism is pivotal in a way that it paves the way for international tourism to thrive, adding that at the end of it all the country will be portrayed in a positive way.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Andrew Sorie, maintained that the domestic tourism workshop is a progression from the just concluded marketing and branding workshop to attain the kind of tourism that befits the 21st century, adding that the concentration of domestic tourism impacts external tourism. He called on all to market Sierra Leone in a way that will convince visitors to stay longer.
The Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Tourism, Hon. Emmanuel Saidu Conteh, applauded the Minister for her zest in changing the tourism narrative. He stated that the workshop is timely because Sierra Leone is in a haste to promote its tourism sector.
In her key note address, the Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Dr. Memunatu Pratt emphasized that domestic tourism borders around inclusion and the citizens should be the first marketers. She said domestic tourism is fundamentally supported by the inter-relationship between the infrastructure, system and processes and there is no longer an isolated tourism but tourism that connects to the bigger value chain.
She continued that lot has been done in terms of marketing and rebranding but a concerted discussion across the country as to how we want the tourism sector to be represented with regards brand and content message was missing. She thanked the consultants for their timely intervention in adding to what we have.
The General Manager of the National Tourist Board, Fatmata Kroma did a presentation on strides made and where tourism should be taken as a sector. The consultants showcased the development of contents with case studies on other countries and also content/messaging development for Sierra Leone which was climaxed by group presentations by participants.
