The Tunis Minister and the National Tourism Board visited London for the Africa Experience and a cultural celebration at The Africa Centre.
Last week, a delegation from the National Tourism Board of Sierra Leone – accompanied by the Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Minister Nabeela Tunis – arrived in London for an official visit. The delegation attended Experience Africa (the UK’s leading African travel show) as an official destination partner and hosted a celebration of Sierra Leone at The Africa Centre. All activities were done as part of Sierra Leone’s wider tourism strategy: promoting the European presence in the country, challenging misconceptions about the destination and engaging members of the diaspora across the UK and Europe.
In March 2024, the National Tourism Board became a member of ATTA®, the African Travel and Tourism Association, as part of its aim to forge links with international partners and invest in its tourism future. From Monday 1 July to Wednesday 3 July, a delegation from the National Tourism Board enjoyed a productive week of meetings at ATTA®’s signature Experience Africa – this was the tourism board’s second consecutive year at the show. Speaking to agents, tour operators and members of the travel trade and media, the week was a fantastic opportunity to showcase Sierra Leone’s tourism offering and discuss product development for this emerging destination.
As an official destination partner at this year’s show, Fatmata General Manager Mida Hamid Carew led an in-depth destination training to help shoppers educate themselves on this emerging destination. This was followed by a panel discussion on Sierra Leone’s cultural and experiential travel opportunities to an audience of over 80 engaged participants. Future discussions are already underway and more details about the new product will be worked out over the next year.
The week culminated in a fantastic Sierra Leonean cultural celebration at The Africa Centre. From historical and cultural talks, drumming, music and spoken word organized by The Young Sierra Leonean, as well as traditional weaving and cooking broadcast live from Freetown, visitors were truly immersed in the energy and hospitality of Sierra Leone. Attendees enjoyed a live menu of Sierra Leonean cuisine by Chef Maria Bradford of Shwen Shwen and marveled at an exhibition of photography by Dave Brown taken during his visit to Sierra Leone with Maria for her debut cookbook, Sweet Salone. A speech by Minister Tunis – on the future of tourism in Sierra Leone, the work done so far and the warm welcome visitors to the country can expect – captivated the audience and provided an opportunity to network and reconnect with members of the travel trade, the Sierra Leonean diaspora and the media.