At ExCeL London’s Royal Docks, Sierra Leone concluded a lively three-day presence at World Travel Market (WTM) London 2025 with a showcase that combined culture, food, and business.
By combining festive public moments with focused industry engagement, the West African nation left a lasting impression on nearly 200 countries and over 4,000 exhibitors.
One of the highlights was when Deputy High Commissioner Yvonne King Odigboh and Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs Nabeela Farida Tunis unexpectedly took to the pavilion floor and danced to the classic song “Let Me Love You (…FOREVER)” by Bunny Mack.
Their spontaneous performance, which was full of joy and rhythm, attracted a receptive audience and perfectly captured Sierra Leone’s friendly hospitality and cultural self-assurance.
Nearby, as guests waited impatiently to try traditional dishes, the smell of cassava and potato leaves filled the stand. The food tasting highlighted a broader plan: promoting Sierra Leonean food as a source of cultural heritage and a draw for tourists. Culinary tourism, according to organisers, will play a bigger role in drawing in curious foreign tourists and boosting local economies.
Delegates conducted serious business beneath the friendly atmosphere. As part of a proactive effort to increase awareness of Sierra Leone, Minister Tunis emphasised the delegation’s multitasking style, saying, “That is why the team is here; working efficiently on many different things at once.” Together with private-sector partners, the delegation included representatives from the Monuments and Relics Commission, the National Tourist Board (NTB), and the Ministry of Tourism. They organised meetings, interviews, and memorandum signings aimed at establishing long-term collaborations.
Tourism entrepreneurs Anthony Moiforay (CEO, https://wwwhattssl.com), Peter Momoh Bassie (Tour Manager, www.tourismislife.com), Jacqueline Tschinkel (CEO, hellosierraleone.com), and Muctaru Rogers (Operations Manager, www.visitsierraleone.org) kept the stand lively and approachable while Permanent Secretary Judith C. Jones and NTB General Manager Fatmata Mida Carew oversaw a jam-packed schedule of engagements. The delegation’s work was given depth and continuity by supporting personnel like Francis Momoh, a Fulbright Fellow who recently returned from the United States after earning an MA in Anthropology, Lucinda Kargbo, the NTB Marketing Manager, Ann-Marie Kamara, the Administrative Head of the Monuments and Relics Commission, and Fatmata Samura, the Senior Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Tourism.
Additionally, Minister Tunis promoted innovation through WTM. In an effort to establish Sierra Leone as one of Africa’s tech-forward travel destinations, she emphasised the ministry’s growing use of AI to promote travel destinations and improve visitor experiences. In an effort to promote regional cuisine, draw culinary tourists, and create job opportunities, she declared that Freetown will host the 3rd UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy the following year.
The Minister gave a sneak peek at the One Nation Reggae Festival, which will kick off on November 25 at the Bintumani Hotel. Headliners from Jamaica, including Sizzla Kalonji, Jah Thunder, Queen Ifrica, and Christopher Martin, will perform alongside Sierra Leonean artists at the festival, which is being promoted as a celebration of connection, culture, and rhythm across Africa, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic.
As WTM 2025 came to an end, Sierra Leone’s fusion of strategic diplomacy, cuisine, and music sent a strong message: the nation is open to connections, business, and culture. In line with President Julius Maada Bio’s Big Five Game Changers agenda, Minister Tunis declared, “We are aggressively expanding our international space and purposefully growing our domestic infrastructure.”
“Sierra Leone has more than enough to dance for,” said NTB’s Kai Bockarie Saquee, grinning.
Credit: Abdulai Braima in London.
