By Mohamed Faray Kargbo
As the compelling aroma of the deliciously prepared meal spreads across, so does the message about Sierra Leone National Day.
Even before the official time of the event, people were already waiting. They all came with one resolve, to have a taste of the Sierra Leonean food.
Europeans, Asians, Americans and other African nationals queue up in their numbers to be served the meal from Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone Stand at ITB had never attracted so much crowd.
From the groundnut soup to the locally-produced rice, ginger drink to the tamarind everything was eaten by the visitors to the pleasure of the National Tourist Board.
“The food is delicious,” remarked one partaker. “I love this and will like to have more.” commented another.
The ingredients in the food made it even more difficult for the visitors to spare the extras. It was a joyful moment for the Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Memunatu Pratt. She has always maintained that food tourism could be used to get more tourists to visit Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone has some of the best delicacies and spicy foodstuff that could forge a love relationship between a tourist and the nation. The cuisine from Sierra Leone could attract more tourists than we think.
The ITB Tourism Trade Show attracts over 10,000 visitors annually. Sierra Leone’s participation is part of efforts to attract more tourists to the country.