SIERRA LEONE: Tourist industry is recovering after the country's devastating decade-long civil war

Record ID: 842415

  • Title: SIERRA LEONE: Tourist industry is recovering after the country's devastating decade-long civil war
  • Date: 2nd February 2010
  • Summary: FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TOUR OPERATOR BIMBOLA CARROLL AT DESK LOOKING AT COMPUTER TERMINAL (SOUNDBITE) (English) BIMBOLA CARROLL, TOUR OPERATOR, SAYING: "We need to get them here, get tourists here. That's the first first thing. And in order to do that we need to be able to convince them that Sierra Leone is ready to welcome them. And a lot, for a lot of operators outside, Sierra Leone - it's still sort of a - it's not in their books, if you know what I mean. They are not taking Sierra Leone on as a destination." VARIOUS FREETOWN STREETS MINISTRY TOURISM BILLBOARD TOURIST BOARD DIRECTOR, CECIL WILLIAMS, AT HIS DESK WRITING (SOUNDBITE) (English) CECIL WILLIAMS, TOURIST BOARD DIRECTOR, SAYING: "One of the challenges of tourism is the bad publicity that the country continues to get in terms of the image - there is still a negative image in the marketplace about Sierra Leone. People still believe it's not a safe destination, stability is still lacking, which is really not true." VARIOUS OF HOTEL IN FREETOWN (SOUNDBITE) (English) CARYL CANZIUS, CANADIAN TOURIST, SAYING: "I was one of those people that was a little afraid, but now that I've been here I've seen that it'squite stable and very safe as well. So, pleasantly surprised."
  • Embargoed: 17th February 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Sierra Leone
  • City:
  • Country: Sierra Leone
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAA3IY2QEM8UKGLJS8EEBCOSWK3
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  • Story Text: Numbers of tourists visiting the powdery white sands and clear blue ocean of No 2 River Beach in a location just south of Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown, are on the increase.
    Unlike many beachside resorts it is run by the villagers themselves.
    Daniel Macauley heads the community association that operates the resort and keeps the beach clean.
    He said the idea to set up the resort was inspired by local unemployment,
    "The idea came from ourselves, because of lack of jobs in this our area. And our community is basically a tourist destination. So we decided to at least start having people, accommodating them here. And also because of the area we are located very close to the sea, we obviously have fresh sea food. So people started buying the idea." Macauley said.
    The association began in 1995 and today employs 40 villagers. Although business is slow, the beach is lively on weekends and holidays.
    Jim Dean, an American working in Sierra Leone, is a regular visitor to No. 2 River.
    "We try to get out here as often as we can, you know, maybe once or twice a month. there are several other beaches along this stretch but this is a very special beach simply because of the sand and the view. Generally there are not too many people out here," he said.
    Bimbola Carroll is a tour operator based in Freetown. He says Sierra Leone has a lot to offer tourists but the challenge is convincing them to come.
    "We need to get them here, get tourists here. That's the first first thing. And in order to do that we need to be able to convince them that Sierra Leone is ready to welcome them. And a lot, for a lot of operators outside, Sierra Leone - it's still sort of a - it's not in their books, if you know what I mean. They are not taking Sierra Leone on as a destination," Caroll said.
    Sierra Leone emerged from a civil war in 2002 in which 50,000 people died. Eight years after a decade-long civil war, the tourism industry is just finding its feet again. With once popular hotel spots reduced to rubble and the country's image stained with war, few tour groups have sent travellers to Sierra Leone.
    "One of the challenges of tourism is the bad publicity that the country continues to get in terms of the image - there is still a negative image in the marketplace about Sierra Leone. People still believe it's not a safe destination, stability is still lacking, which is really not true," said Cecil Williams, director of the tourism board.
    But numbers are rising slowly. The Tourist Board registered 1,200 tourists in 2000 and 5,500 tourists in 2009.
    Two United Kingdom-based travel agencies now offer trips to Sierra Leone and the country's first travel guide was published last year.
    "I was one of those people that was a little afraid, but now that I've been here I've seen that it's quite stable and very safe as well. So, pleasantly surprised," said Caryl Canzius, a Canadian tourist.
    The resort association employs 40 villagers and contributes to medical bills and wedding and funeral costs.
    Housing has been built with the proceeds of the resort's activities. New funds mean children now attend kindergarten for free at the village church.
    "I'm really happy for the children because the children used to walk miles to go to school before. So when they opened this school, I was happy to be here to educate them," said a teacher Coumba Mansary.
    According to government's reports Sierra Leone set to record economic growth of around four percent this year and that number predicted to rise after the country discovered oil in September.
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