The Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs and its Sub Vented Agencies have launched the Sierra Leone Chapter of United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Gender, Women and Tourism Programme. The event took place at the Family Kingdom Resort on Friday October 25, 2019 according to a report by Mohamed Faray Kargbo.
The event, according to him, can be described as “the launch of the biggest tourism empowerment programme for women in Sierra Leone.” It was a needed filip for a sector that is perceived to have witnessed minimal growth in the last 15 years.
The event was attended by Ms Adama Kamara of the Siera Leone Tourist Board and over 500 other women who were desirous to see the much needed transformation of women in the tourism industry.
Launching the programme, Minister of Tourism, Memunatu Pratt, noted that the programme was not only about female tourism entrepreneurs but also how climate change affects women in tourism.
The launch was a precursor to the Women in Tourism Conference that would be held in Accra in November.
Although they make up about 60% of the tourism workforce, women occupy the lowest cadre of those jobs.
Statements geared towards improving women’s skills and education were made by various stakeholders.
According yo him, the World Bank has funded a report on Sierra Leone Women in Tourism that would soon be launched in the country.
Chaired by Hon. Veronica Kadi Sesay, artistes Star Zero, Rozay and others performed songs that uplift women.
According to UNWTO’s Global Report on Women in Tourism:
• In most regions of the world, women make up the majority of the tourism workforce
• Women tend to be concentrated in the lowest paid and lowest status jobs in tourism
• Women perform a large amount of unpaid work in family tourism businesses
As a specialised UN agency in the field of tourism, UNWTO is committed to enhancing the positive impact of tourism development on women’s lives, and, in so doing, contributing to the achievement of the Fifth Sustainable Development Goal – “achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”.
