Greetings from the World’s biggest Tourism/Travel Trade Fair (ITB, Berlin). Oh Sierra Leone, how I wish you were here!
Some may ask which tourism revival? Well, six years after VSL was started in 2004 we have definitely seen change in attitudes to Sierra Leone. Long way to go - I know – but there have been a lot of goodwill in the foreign press (and reputable ones too) about Sierra Leone’s tourism potential.
The Bradt guide to Sierra Leone was also a major plus for the industry – but I can’t help but feel that there is very little or no support coming from government to build on some of the goodwill from such publications. Whether it is a conscious strategy or not, I don’t know but as someone involved in the industry, I do not see what is being done to kick-start this industry. Actually, what is even more frustrating is that in some ways we have taken steps backwards.
Take the National Tourist Board for example. They have been able to do some proactive marketing, from some funds that were donated from the IF (Integrated fund) – they did promotional video, brochures, new Sierra Leone map and also the first training seminar for Tour Guides. All good. However, they have not been able to attend Tourism fairs such as the ITB in Berlin or WTM in London because of chronic lack of funding from the government. Or forget about tourism fairs – they now struggle to pay the staff of the NTB. As such, the staff morale that was the pre-2007 is all but gone. They used to levy a bed tax of 7.5% from which they keep the office running and are able to engage in on going marketing activities, which is within their mandate.
This revenue has been taken away from them and handed to the NRA. The tax has also gone from 7.5% to 15% in a couple of years. Money now goes to the NRA and as I understand it they struggle to get the necessary funding from the govt to keep their office running effectively. The NTB used to collect a lot of information from the hotels as part of this process, information which is of value to potential investors such as amount of beds and pattern of usage, occupancy etc. Of course, NRA isn’t interested in all of that stuff and it’s becoming difficult to get information (on an industry level) in order to make solid investment conclusions.
There is the airport, which is in need of a serious clean up. At every point during this trip, I was asked for money. From the point when I was dropped off by the Allied Marine shuttle, to the point I went through the final security check. How much does it cost to clean up Lungi Airport and get some sanity? Is Ministry of Tourism and that of Transport and Aviation working towards making this first point of contact a more pleasurable experience? I doubt it somewhat. The airport really ticks me off because it doesn’t require a lot of financial investment to get order.
Perhaps the destruction of the beach bars is perhaps the most decisive thing the ministry have done. They were clearing them to make way for lights and palm trees neither of which are present. In fact, rather worryingly is the increase of structures being put back on the beach. The latest, an extension of Roy’s restaurant is quite nice, but pushes the boundaries in terms of what is or isn’t a permanent structure. How long before the beach side is littered with structures again. A few weeks ago a group made of mainly of expats volunteered to clean up Lumley beach. How embarrassing. They walked the full length of the beach on one Sunday morning. The beach wardens and life guards that were part of an employment scheme have all disappeared.
There is the deforestation around the Charlotte Falls which is another of our tourist attractions. No to mention the rapid deterioration of our monuments and relics and deplorable state of sites such as Bunce Island.
Is there a plan to protect the Western Area Peninsula and land grab that will occur after the final half of the peninsula road is complete? Is there a proper plan to develop that area in a manner that will retain it’s beauty? Or are we going to allow anyone to build high-rise hotels at River Number Two?
I am convinced that the tourism industry in Sierra Leone is not being treated with any seriousness regardless of what the political rhetoric is. I remember reading reports of His Excellency’s speech after he was elected President in 2007. Tourism and Agriculture were highlighted as key industries he would be looking to develop. It has gone from this to an admission by the tourism minister that tourism is not a priority of the government, and that is a real shame especially when I hear of the challenges to tackling unemployment.
Tourism is a private sector driven industry driven by government support, much like any other. We need more from the latter.
Take Rwanda – there is lot we can learn from this country that is smaller than Sierra Leone, had “bad perceptions” issues like us and is pursuing the same strategy Sierra Leone aspires to -high end tourism. Talking to their representatives at their stand, it becomes obvious that they still have their challenges but are tackling them head on. Tourism is on the national agenda and everyone is working towards making it work for Rwanda. There is clarity of vision and an approach that works for them now, rather than saying Tourism is waiting for the other things such as infrastructure to be put in place. There is a lot we can learn from Rwanda, and they will be open as we are not direct competitors.
Walking around the ITB, past the Zimbabwe, Sudan, Mozambique and Sudan stands – I see no reason why Sierra Leone should be absent. Didn’t we just give Haiti $100,000? A fifth of that would have gone some way to get Sierra Leone at the ITB, something that is an investment for the future.
We can still do it, the potential is there and there are those in the private sector trying hard to make things happen. We can accomplish a lot if government and the private sector engage with each other and are driven by a common goal. Country above individual egos, ambitions and politics. We need to take control of our destiny as far as tourism goes. Political will is badly needed and the sooner we get it the better.
4 comments:
I have been in Sierra Leone for a year now and I agree tourism has gone backwards. Emphasis needs to be given to tourism to develop the countries infrastructure. BUT infrastructure has to already be there to make tourism a success. The donation to Haiti was actually given by a businessman in Freetown but the government is taking credit for it.
very sad to hear that not much is being done with regards to tourism in SL.Such a beautiful place it's ridiculous.As for the land grab around the penninsula it's goin to be crazy.I believe in SL though,maybe the private sector should bypass the gov as it doesn't seem to deliver on its promises.
This is the kind of thing that makes me so cynical about Sierra Leone. Our government and organizations don't complete what we start. Are we waiting on the Chinese to give us direction or what?
Otolo, your point about the revival speaks to a larger issue that I suspect is the case with the country's policies. Too much of what we do and how we do it is determined by what other people envision for the country. I'm not saying that the government did not want tourism revival. But I question who came up with the plans for tourism. We spend so much time acting like beggars to the international community without laying out a vision for ourselves, regardless of what foreign investors, agencies, and NGOs say.
I realize this my be a reach, so bear with me as I speculate. Tourism is a great idea. However, I wonder if the government has seriously considered the ramifications of tourism "revival." I look at the social problems tourism has brought about, in Gambia for instance, and I have to wonder who made this a priority and why? There are other development options and strategies to benefit the masses than tourism. In country like Sierra Leone, where basic necessities and services are not met for the masses of the people, does it make sense to make tourism a priority? I don't know.
I would rather see the government invest in agriculture, which represents at least 75% of the economy. The infrastructure and industry desperately needs "revival." It's an industry that can be the foundation for economic and social development, a crucial goal for our own survival as a people and a nation. Tourism, to me, seems to serve another need that really has little to do with strengthening the country. Rather, it sends a message to outsiders: come see how great and beautiful we are. And sadly, I don't think many Sierra Leoneans know or even believe that we are great and beautiful.
Tourism can be a real game changer for Sierra Leone. As someone who has worked in the hotel industry in the eighties and part of the nineties,I have witnessed firsthand what tourism can do to improve the socio economic status of the people of Sierra Leone. Those were the days when Sofitel was present and those were the days when we welcomed boatloads of tourist from all over the world. Hotel workers were among the highest paid workers in Sierra Leone with one of the strongest Hotel Workers Union across West Africa. Government has to take tourism very seriously. Nature has provided us with some of the best landscapes, a great cultural heritage and the most beautiful people in the world; it is time to act Sierra Leone, it is time to act!!
Post a Comment