Mr Minister, next time be more positive

Why is Sierra Leone still failing to attract tourists seven years after the end of the war? This was the question the Minister of Tourism was asked on the BBC World Service about three weeks ago. I was hoping for a composed response which highlighted some of the progress that has been made on that front and some of what they were doing as a Ministry to attract tourists back to Sierra Leone. He could have pointed to the fact that in fact tourist figures are rising, that more people (with no ties in country) are booking holidays here. It does not matter if the numbers are small, the trend is upwards. Or it could have been mentioned that in fact The Observer, The Sunday Times, The London Metro and Forbes had all done fairly positive pieces on Sierra Leone just 2 weeks prior to the interview.

…or that Lonely Planet are updating their guidebook on Sierra Leone.

Or even better.. that there will soon be a dedicated travel guide on Sierra Leone – a first - The Bradt Travel guide out next month which promises to be a fantastic asset to the revival of tourism in Sierra Leone..

Instead, my Minister - in my opinion - got defensive and reverted back to using the war as an excuse. The same old talk about the infrastructure not being acceptable and our health system being rubbish. While this may not be inaccurate, most people already know this. It felt to me like he was saying… well, with everything that’s wrong with Sierra Leone, why would anyone want to come here. It may not have been his intention but this is what it sounded like to me.

This felt like a slap in the face for all those people who are hedging their bets on a resurgence in Sierra Leone’s tourism industry. People who are trying to change the image of Sierra Leone and get tourists back here. Take Rainbow Tours for example, a reputable tour operator based in the UK specialising in tours to Africa. They have braved into a world that so many others shy away from. They didn’t even need a ‘fam trip’ to make the decision to run tours in Sierra Leone. Ask the NTB and they will tell you how many folks come here for a free holiday under the guise of a ‘fam trip’.

Take Sammy Williams, a Sierra Leonean based in France who has developed a resort at Lungi. No fuss, just gone about his business doing it.

Or Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary , constantly growing since it was established. They now have three lodges, two traditional roundhouses and one at tree canopy level.

There’s Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary which has greatly increased in profile in the past few years and is now a popular request from our guests.

Spare a thought for Dayo Metzger, the main guide at Sierra Leone’s only National Park where he waits patiently, faithfully for a guest to turn up and make his day.

Take the fishing Lodge at Bonthe, a quality establishment looking to attract big game fishermen to this beautiful and sleepy corner of Sherbro Island.

Or what of the guys at River Number two who have demonstrated that communities can indeed work together to create sustainable projects. Go listen to their story and the challenges they’ve had to overcome.. together.

What of Banana Island? Another sustainable community driven project creating opportunities for the people of this island.

and, people like Vincent Kanu who has invested over $2m into his hotel at Makeni.

There is the resort development project at Mama Beach, not to mention the development along Lumley Beach of which the ministry is well aware, and all the little guys along Lakka, Bureh and Tokey Beach.

I know politicians being politicians they dream of a massive resorts and hotel that they can point to for its sheer vastness and that’s fair enough I guess, but tourism is much more than that. All these establishments are making a direct positive impact in the communities where they operate.

To do anything but support these people and use every given opportunity to promote Sierra Leone and the progress being made over the last few years - is in my opinion - an injustice.