Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs and its agencies, National Tourist Board (NTB), Monument and Relics Commission (MRC) supported by the World Bank Sierra Leone Economic Diversification Project (SLEDP) have commenced a week-long Tourism Statistics Workshop
This specialized five-day training facilitated by International expert aimed to strengthen the capacity of staff of the Ministry, the NTB, MRC, Statistics Sierra Leone, Bank of Sierra Leone and other key stakeholders with the overarching goal to enhancing data collection, analysis and reporting to ensure informed policy decision and strategic planning. The training resonates with the Ministry’s 2025 Year of Ecotourism also aimed at tracking progress consistently as well as connecting communities, culture and conservation
In his opening courtesies, Permanent Secretary, Edward Kwame Yankson remarked that this crucial training on tourism statistics is vital for the government Big-Five agenda and the tourism sector by strengthening data systems to measure tourism’s contribution to the country’s GDP, identify threats and develop strategies that foster tourism growth.
Director of Tourism, Travel and Exchange Programme, Mohamed Jalloh premised his statement on the significance of the training, saying that Tourism statistics are crucial to the tourism industry as they provide viable data to monitor the impact of tourism and also allowing government to make informed policy decision and ensure sustainable tourism development.
The lead Consultant, Kevin Millington mentioned that the sector has a good base of tourism data, but envisaged delving deeper into tourism statistics and Satellite account during the course of the five-day training
Launching the week-long training workshop, Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Nabeela Tunis recognized the importance of the training in enhancing the capabilities of stakeholders within the tourism and hospitality sector in generating precise and timely tourism statistics needed for increased government investments as well as attracting donor support. She highlighted the remarkable resilience of the sector in achieving consistent growth since 2018, with specific reference to the gains made in 2024 in increase arrivals, surge in website traffic and Social media impressions due to the Tourism for All Campaign.
She acknowledged that despite the country’s rich historical and tourism assets, the sector remains untapped due to challenges such as inadequate statistical management that lacks efficiency and depth, a reason the Ministry and the Board are fully committed to establishing a Tourism Satellite Account and also develop a comprehensive system that captures data ranging from source markets and spending
patterns to the social and environmental impacts of tourism She stated that the recent international tourism Tarde Fair in Spain indicates a high demand for Ecotourism, cultural heritage and adventure tourism in Sierra Leone, underscoring the need for disaggregated statistics and insights necessary to make the required strategic policy shifts.
She encouraged all to actively participate in the sessions and contribute to strengthening the accuracy, credibility and reliability of tourism statistics to build a data-driven tourism sector that fosters sustainable growth and long-term impact required to effectively measure the Year of Ecotourism.
The training workshop prioritized the collection, analysis and determination of tourism data, focusing on visitor numbers, tourism receipts, GDP contribution, employment, investment and visitor’s satisfaction.
MTCA Communications