The Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs (MTCA) and the National Tourist Board (NTB) have received funds from the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) to implement a Sustainable tourism development and promotion project. The project aims to help Sierra Leone owns a tourism agenda aligned with trade policies and conducive to sustainable pro-poor growth; and increase the presence and perception of the country in the international market as an attractive tourist destination.
In implementing this project, the MTCA and the NTB intend to use part of this fund to hire the services of a legal Expert to review the Tourism Development Act, 1990.
Background
On the 21st February 1990, Sierra Leone Parliament passed The Development of Tourism Act 1990 to make new and better provisions for the promotion and development of Tourism in Sierra Leone; and to provide for the establishment of a National Tourist Board for the implementation of the Ministry’s strategies and policies.
The Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs and the National Tourist Board developed a Tourism Policy to provide a clear vision for re-launching the tourism sector. One of the recommendations within the Tourism Policy is to review the Development of Tourism Act 1990. The Act is currently obsolete, as many changes and dynamics have taken place within the tourism industry all over the world since 1990.
The current act does not take into consideration updated issues relating to mainstreaming gender equality, digitalisation of tourism processes, climate change mitigation, human capital and institutional development. Furthermore, the sector’s position within governance is weakened as a result of non-clarity on the ownership and control of key tourism assets and the lack consideration in addressing cross-cutting issues leading to major loss of tourism opportunities.
It has been recognized that the tourism sector could be used to influence the development of other sectors within the economy. Lot of changes have taken place at local and international levels that warrants the need to update the Development of Tourism Act 1990;
The Government of Sierra Leone under the leadership of His Excellency the President, Dr. Julius Maada Bio has prioritized the tourism sector in the National Medium-Term Development Plan and placed under cluster two (2) as one of his core developments programs for economic diversification, growth and development. The support provided by the government contributed to the rapid emergence of Sierra Leone’s tourism sector as one of the promising destinations within the West African sub-region.
Contact: Procurement Committee
National Tourist Board
Lumley Beach Road, Aberdeen.
Freetown—Email–info@ntb.gov.sl.
