Sierra Leone’s Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Hon. Nabeela Farida Tunis, has reinforced the country’s growing global tourism profile through high-level engagements at FITUR 2026 in Madrid.
On the margins of the international tourism fair, Sierra Leone held a strategic meeting with the Secretary-General of UN Tourism, H.E. Shaikha Alnuwais, aimed at advancing the country’s tourism development agenda through strengthened multilateral cooperation.
A key outcome of the meeting was the signing of a Letter of Intent, confirming Sierra Leone as the host of the 3rd UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Africa, scheduled to take place in Freetown later this year.
Discussions also focused on sustained institutional support for Sierra Leone’s tourism sector, including policy alignment, capacity building, data-driven planning, and technical assistance. Emphasis was placed on alignment with the Women in Tourism Leadership Africa Committee (WiTLAC) initiatives, which Sierra Leone currently chairs.
The engagement highlights Sierra Leone’s emerging leadership role within Africa’s tourism ecosystem and its commitment to promoting inclusive and sustainable tourism development across the continent.
Under Minister Tunis’s tenure, the tourism sector has recorded significant growth and increased international visibility. Her innovative leadership, notably the introduction of annual thematic frameworks, has energized the industry and attracted global interest. These themes include Tourism for All (2024), Year of Ecotourism (2025), and Year of Culture and Creativity (2026), each supported by targeted programmes and strategic initiatives.
