Sierra Leone looks to Seychelles for eco advice

War ravaged Sierra Leone is looking to Seychelles for eco-tourism pointers as the development of its tourist industry gets underway following the end of ten years of civil unrest.

With stunning beaches and diverse wildlife parks the country has much to offer environment minded visitors, but its efforts are being hampered by inadequate infrastructure and the lingering remnants of war.

General Manager of the Sierra Leone National Tourist Board, Cecil Williams, recently paid a visit to Seychelles and other Indian Ocean islands to pick up some eco-tourism tips.

Speaking to US radio station Voice of America, on his return to Free Town, he said that Seychelles and Mauritius provide models he hopes to emulate.

“They have not destroyed the environment,” he said. “Our goal is eco-tourism and for you to do that you must systematically work out the type of market that you want. These are unspoilt destinations. You know the focus now all around the world is for people to go to places that are unspoilt and that are virgin and therefore we are trying to sell Sierra Leone as an eco-friendly destination which is unspoilt.”

The decade long civil war ended two years ago leaving Sierra Leone bereft of workable infrastructure.

At a recent conference for tour operators and travel writers, some European visitors expressed concerns about sending tourists to Sierra Leone due to the country's poor international communications, lack of doctors, no hospitals up to international standards and widespread poverty. In addition, the tour operators worry about corruption at high levels of the country's government.

For Mr Williams, however, the publicity brought by the civil war is something that must be turned to the country's advantage.

“Prior to the escalation of the war, not many people knew where Sierra Leone was and the irony of the whole thing is that in spite of all these atrocities, in spite of all these negative things, the whole world's attention was focused on Sierra Leone, people started to know where Sierra Leone is,” Mr. Williams said. “But out of those negative issues, people also came to learn that there were wonderful opportunities, not only in tourism, but in many areas.”

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