in a bid to boost the marketing of Sierra Leone as a competitive tourism destination, the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs signs a Memorandum of Understanding with Pass porter Limited, a renowned digital firm, to pilot a project that will provide AI technology support in the branding and marketing of Sierra Leone as a prime Tourism Destination in Africa.
As the Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Nabeela Farida Tunis, seeks to transform the tourism sector as a lead economic diversification sector that will support development programs of Government in Sierra Leone, the Ministry has signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding that will enhance the visibility of Sierra Leone as a competitive tourism destination, make it easier for tourists to locate specific pristine destinations in the country, curate and market multiple tourism packages, digitize tour planning, and generate needed tourism data that will inform progressive policies for the sector. In essence, the MoU will ensure that, for the first time, the tourism sector has an intelligent planning software, big data platform analytics, content & advertising services on tourism sector-dedicated websites in Sierra Leone.
Speaking before the signing, Minister Tunis stated that, the era of using of AI and big data analytics to stimulate and support economic growth is upon the world. Therefore, she is keen to ensure that the tourism sector in Sierra Leone harnesses the opportunity to engender impactful transformation of the tourism industry. Minister Tunis expressed optimism that, the intelligent planning software, which the private contractor, Pass porter Limited, will integrate into the Ministry’s website will help to broaden Sierra Leone’s reach to the world, which will in turn boost tourism arrivals on the shores of Sierra Leone. She continued that, even though leveraging the intelligent marketing software is capital intensive, she believes that the ultimate financial gains that the country will accrue will far outweigh this initial investment.
nce the intelligent software will be advertising private tourism businesses in Sierra Leone to the world, Minister Tunis indicated that, she will engage tourism and hospitality businesses in Sierra Leone to support the full rollout of the project after the three month pilot phase, as they are ultimately the primary beneficiaries.
The CEO of Passporter Limited, Diego Rodriguez Royo, in his brief remarks before the signing stated that, the reason why UN Tourism recommended his company to the Sierra Leone delegation is simply because the former knows the company’s pedigree in Africa, Asia and South America. Mr Diego Rodriguez assured Minister Tunis that his company will help transform digital tourism marketing in Sierra Leone and within a short period, tangible result will be there for everyone to see. He added that, the first phase of the project which will span over a three month period, will his company integrate the AI Trip Planner into the website of the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs as well as boost the destination’s visibility in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. He also added that, Sierra Leoneans will be subsequently trained to sustain the intelligent digital platform and even expand into other digital and AI spaces.
After the brief remarks, the two parties proceeded to the signing of the MoU. The General Manager of the Sierra Leone National Tourist Board, Fatmata Milda Carew, signed the MoU on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, whist the CEO of Pass porter, Diego Rodriguez Royo signed on behalf of Pass porter Limited.
