Is tourism a stirring lion?
Long stretches of white sand, intimate coves, beachside bars, barracuda straight from the sea and a laid back feel. It’s a far cry from the war torn label that has stuck for a decade and the government is keen to tear off for good.
Long sandy stretch, Lumley beach 2008.
© Debra Percival
Nature’s abundance of intense green foliage contrasting with the deep red earth and sheltering a wealth of fauna and flora is both humbling and enveloping. The government knows that by nurturing such natural assets it can pull tourists back to the country (see environment article).
Sierra Leone’s Tourism Minister, Hindolo Tyre, who has a small office tucked into the national sports stadium, says the sector will not be sidelined: “There has always been a tourism ministry but it has always been looked upon as the forgotten ministry. In fact, there was a joke that when a minister does something wrong he is usually punished by being sent to tourism. For me, it’s not a punishment it’s a challenge. People can’t count on mining forever.”
It’s only a six hour flight from Europe but there’s a lot to tackle to turn around the external perception of the country. On sandy beach terms, the country can compete with Gambia and Senegal with hidden bays like Sussex and River no.2, as well as the long stretch at Lumley. It’s a different case with infrastructure. Flights to Sierra Leone are comparatively high-cost and the position of the national airport at Lungi on a peninsula means an extra unique helicopter hop into Freetown on arrival. At the time of writing there was no alternative sea transport to the capital.
Clean-up day
Other things that put off some tourists: visible destitution, a largely cash economy and environmental problems such as waste – mainly plastics – washed up on Lumley beach. The last Saturday of every month has been declared environmental ‘clean-up day’ by the government when there’s no traffic on the streets and you are expected to stay at home to tidy your area.
“The sector can become a major foreign exchange earner and an employment generator. To say that we are war torn is not right. What we need is to market and promote our country outside as well as inside,” said the Minister.
For starters, the Minister wants to print a map pinpointing the country’s beauty spots, historical sites and relics. He talks about some spots: Bumbuna’s amazing scenery and very nice guest rooms and Tiwai Island, a stunning nature reserve.
Old colonial houses with ornate verandas give a bygone time feel to Freetown. And the cotton tree – an immense tree found growing in the late 18th century by former American slaves who won their freedom by fighting for the British in the American Civil War and named their new settlement Freetown – is a focal point in the capital.
“Part of our strategic plan involves having legal consultants even just for short periods of three months to look at rules and regulations; for example, the Tourism Development Master Plan in 1982. The Monuments and Relics Act was as far back as 1957. Even some of our agreements with hotels are not pro-Sierra Leone,” said Minister Tyre.
He said external investment was vital since domestic priorities are electricity, food and water: “When you look at the country it’s like a virgin untouched by investment and investors, but the approach we want to use is totally different. One of the failures of the system before is political interference. We want to de-politicise as much as possible.”
Website: www.sierraleone.org
