By Samuella Blessings Kanu

The Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Mrs Nabeela Farida Tunis, is pushing to give a face-lift to the tourism industry in the country.

She has vividly explained progress on the upcoming regional Tourism Conference to be staged in Freetown.

The Conference is scheduled to take place between the 29th and 31st October 2024 at the Freetown International Conference Centre.

Updating the media, the Minister disclosed that the conference will be first of its kind to be organized in Sierra Leone ever.

She informed participants that the conference is also geared towards bringing together prominent women across the African continent including the ones in Sierra Leone.

She revealed that the conference will be  hosted by the Tourism Ministry in collaboration with UN special agencies.

The Minister said in January this year, they were able to bring together some women and engaged them on ways to improve the tourism sector in the country.

Minister Tuinis said the ministry will also engage other sectors on a very high level basis.

She stated that officials of the Tourism Ministry had visited the UN  Secretary General in his office and had explained to him progress already made by the ministry.

She said her ministry has also organized another great event which showcases what the Ministry is capable of doing.

Nabela Tunis said the ministry has also shared the plans of the tourism sector.

One of the key things that the tourism industry is interested in is the way  the conference will be organized in the weeks to come.

She is concerned about the tourism funding campaign drive to be raised at the conference by next week.

The minister further said that her ministry has put forward this year with a real love campaign that aims to engage ordinary citizens to let them get the awareness on tourism and its values.

Minister maintained that tourism is at the center of government top priorities since 2018 that foster national development plans President Julius Maada Bio.

She said the President acknowledged the growth in this sector which starts to attract financial institutions and other interests groups.

She stated that the ministry has put modalities in place to undertake 35 engagements in order to realize the ability in tourism industry.

Minister Tunis underscored that moving forward they also realize that sierra Leone is a beautiful country not just its people but everywhere especially the country’s landscape.

She maintained that they decided to continue the engagement because by engaging it will make lot of people be able to reach out the tourism sports.

She stated the conference will take place on 29th to 31st October at the International Conference Center, Aberdeen in Freetown.