MONROVIA – The Director General of the Liberia National Tourism Authority (LNTA) has outlined a strategic vision for revitalizing Liberia’s tourism industry, but by first acknowledging existing infrastructure gaps and marketing inconsistencies.
By Emmanuel Weedee-Conway
Speaking at the start of a two-day stakeholders’ consultative meeting being held at the Boulevard Palace in Monrovia, Madam Princess Eva Cooper pointed out that it’s time that the country leverages its unique cultural identity and pristine natural landscapes, such as eco-adventure sites and surf-friendly coastlines, rather than imitating neighboring nations.
Outlining her vision for the tourism sector, the LNTA boss stressed the critical importance of targeting the diaspora market and promoting authentic traditions as one of the means of making the sector to become a vital source of renewable national income.
“Let us leverage our unique selling points. We’re not trying to be the Gambia. Neither are we trying to be Ghana or Nigeria. We are Liberia. We must learn our unique selling assets. One is the diaspora tourism. We have a powerful diaspora longing to reconnect. We must create homecoming packages that dignify, educate, and commercialize. We need to position Liberia as the next big echo adventure destination in West Africa. Another key area is our cultural heritage from the poro and sandi society, our unique culinary traditions like our jollof rice, our dumboy – these are our culture that we must show the world,” the LNTA boss told the gathering.
Lifting the industry, she believes also depends on public-private partnerships where stakeholders collaborate to improve visitor experiences and resolve financial hurdles, noting that this will in turn transform Liberia from a “best kept secret” into a premier destination through strategic branding and honest self-assessment.
“It’s clear that there have been and there would always be systemic hurdles, such as unreliable infrastructure and inconsistent marketing; however, the diagnosis is the first step toward growth. By leveraging unique assets like ecotourism, cultural heritage and the diaspora, Liberia aims to offer authentic experiences that distinguish it from its regional neighbors.”
“This is why I think clearly that a public-private partnership strategy is needed to transform the nation’s raw beauty and traditions into a sustainable engine for direct economic empowerment.”
Most importantly, she told the gathering of cross-section of stakeholders that the ongoing meeting is intended to uncover the real issues that continue to impede the sector and collective amend solution.
“Our roles are not always reliable. Our destination of marketing is inconsistent. We struggle with investment capital for boutique, hotels and echo lodges. And sometimes our visitor experience that our beaches are not good enough. We cannot fix what we do not acknowledge. This dialogue is our platform to diagnose these together. Another is the perception versus the reality gap. Liberia is a best kept secret, but we cannot continue to keep that secret. We must let the world know what we’re made of. The world is looking for authentic untouched experiences.”
Remarking at the occasion, Madam Juanita M. Yiah, Technical Director in the office of DG Cooper, said the forum is the beginning of a strategic initiative aimed at revitalizing Liberia’s tourism and cultural sectors through organized cooperation.
Owing to the critical importance of each stakeholder, she indicated that it was of great significance to bring them together as a means of fostering national identity and providing economic opportunities for the youth.
To move beyond untapped potential, Yiah noted that the gathering focuses on bridging the gap between government policies and private sector expertise.
At the forum, attendees are being tasked with identifying specific obstacles and establishing a framework for measurable progress – a commitment of a unified action intended to transform cultural heritage into a sustainable engine for community growth.
