The Parliamentary oversight committee on Tourism and Cultural Affairs chaired by Hon. Mohamed Sheriff Rahman-Coker has engaged Ministry of Tourism and its sectors during a familiarization visit to the committee.

In his opening remarks, the Parliamentary Chairman of the Committee on Tourism Hon. Mohamed Sheriff  welcomed officials from the MDAs present and underscored the importance of Parliament, cognizant of law-making, representation and oversight. He said the meeting was the first in the Sixth Parliament. The chairman outlines the composition of the committee and its mandate relative to the development of the tourism industry.

The chairman promised Parliament to do due diligence to their work and assist the tourism industry to develop.

He said the purpose of the meeting was mainly a familiarization meeting aimed at charting a way forward to addressing the challenges facing the tourism sector.

In his brief statement, the deputy Secretary of the Tourism Ministry Phillip Mosay said the Ministry has achieved a lot internally and internationally to change the narrative from a war-torn to that of a developing country. He went on to highlight the numerous work the ministry is doing to make Sierra Leone tourist attractive destination. He also informed the committee that the ministry is working on the review laws to be brought to Parliament for enactment.

In his submission, the Director of Tourism Mr. Mohamed Jalloh said a lot has been done but much needed to be done and emphasized the work on their master plan to ensure that all stockholders are involved and that the document will be launched very soon.

He also informed the committee that they are doing inter-ministerial meetings on matters relating to the tourism industry. “We’re are also working with the Transport Ministry to have a fixed airline to travel to Sierra Leone with a cheap tax rate to boost the tourism industry,” he added, noting that through the support of the banks, the ministry is focusing on the projects at Leicester Peak, Bureh Beach, and the Tacugama center for tourist attraction.

The General Manager of the National Tourism Board Mrs. Fatmata Meda Crew outlines the work of the institution relative to the mandate and functions of their work.

The GM highlighted each department’s functions in the tourism board.

She said a lot of work has been done in the tourism sector in terms of developing policies and strategic plans for the sector.

Madam Carew said that Sierra Leone has gained a lot of international recognition relative to the positive work done by President Bio. She said a lot of articles have been written by international media including the CNN while disclosing that the current minister has put in place the early promotion of the tourism sector by taking MPs, ministers and other sectors to visit local tourism areas. The GM said currently the country has eight international tourism promoters in the country to thermite the diversification of the tourism sector

Other sectors in tourism also briefed the Committee on its mandate and functions to boost the tourism industry.

MPs from the Committee applauded the work of the tourism sector and promised to work with the ministry and highlighted some important issues for the promotion and development of the tourism sector.

At conclusion of the meeting, the chairman appreciated the engagement and pleaded for a good working environment for both the tourism sector and that of Parliament. The Chairman informed that the committee would soon embark on an oversight visit to all hotels in the country to investigate for their licenses.