As part of efforts to capitalise on tourism offerings between Jamaica and Sierral Leone, both countries are set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The move is aimed at strengthening tourism cooperation between Jamaica and the historic African nation.
“With the strong historical and cultural association between Jamaica and Sierra Leone, it is strategic to collaborate and strengthen our tourism corporation. Both countries have a lot to offer in tourism and we can capitalize on this to build out new experiences for our visitors,” said Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett.
The discussions centred around air connectivity; training and development; marketing and promotional activities; cultural exchange; tourism diversification and growth and resilience.
“The pandemic has been the most tangible example of tourism vulnerability to disruptions and so a major area of focus will be resilience and resilience building to ensure the future proofing of the industry. It is critical that we build capacity in tourism to withstand and recover stronger for the next disruption we may encounter,” Minister Bartlett added.
The Sierra Leone delegation, headed by Minister of Tourism, Dr. Memunatu Pratt, also discussed their participation in the upcoming Global Tourism Resilience Conference that will be held in Kingston at the University of the West Indies’ Regional Headquarters from February 15-17, 2023.
“Tourism resilience is now at the heart of the industry’s survival. We must as destinations, exchange ideas and best practices to create the infrastructure to build capacity to detect, respond and recover from these disruptions,” said Minister Bartlett. Further discussions to finalize the MOU between both countries will be had on the margins of the Global Tourism Resilience Conference.
