Abstract
THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM IN SIERRA LEONE
Bisolu Sylvanus Hotchinson Betts*
ABSTRACT
The importance of culture has been looked at as one of the pillars of tourism development in many countries and Sierra Leone as a whole. The objective of the study is to examine the importance of culture in the development of tourism in Sierra Leone. The main areas of intervention include infrastructure improvement, heritage preservation, economic development, regional identity and image branding. The main instrument for this paper was a structured questionnaire which was administered among twenty staff of the various sectors within the tourism/culture industry in Sierra Leone. The collected data was analyze and presented by the aid of tables, frequency and percentage using a simple percentage methods expressed as sample frame divided by the total multiply by one hundred. The care funding for cultural tourism programmes comes from the public sector, even though complimentary funding provided by the private sector. Public funding has limitations and make project leaders dependent on a public sector funding cycle which creates uncertainty about funding levels. It is recommended that to activate these problems, it is suggested that the public sector develop alternative funding sources and introduce multi-annual funding programmes. Culture creates authority and distinctiveness in the global tourism market. In this regard, “tourism experiences” that can connect people and visitors to local cultures are very important. In many cases, the ring of destination is also linked to specific cultural events e.g. Connected to famous places, masquerades, festivals, people or historical events which can also play a catalyst role in this development and the involvement of the local communities.
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