MICAT Hosts 2-Day W/Shops For Regional Tourism Dev’ment

MICAT Hosts 2-Day W/Shops For Regional Tourism Dev’ment

By O’Neill A.R.Philips

The Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT) has commenced a two-day capacity building workshop for regional tourism development, ecotourism awareness and hospitality excellence. At the tourism workshop, which began on Thursday, August 14, 2025, in Monrovia, Deputy Information Minister for Tourism, Kadiatu D. Konteh-Brohiri, said the training serves as a landmark moment for country’s tourism sector. Madam Brohiri said, the workshop will  lay the foundation for a more coordinated, more professional, and more sustainable future for tourism in the country. Madam Brohiri indicated that Liberia is blessed with sweeping coastlines, lush rainforests, rich biodiversity, and a cultural heritage that spans generations that tell the story of resilience, creativity and unity. She said those treasures ‘remain underutilized.’ “The full potential of tourism as an engine of economic growth, job creation, and environmental stewardship, has not yet been realized,” Madam Brohiri noted. She told participants that the training serves as a step toward changing that mindset. “It is a space for us to build the skills, the knowledge, and the partnerships needed to transform tourism from an underdeveloped promise into a thriving, competitive and inclusive industry,” she said.  Madame Konteh – Brohiri said the two days regional tourism development, ecotourism awareness, and hospitality excellence workshop, is directly aligned with President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s agenda for accelerated inclusive development. She said that decentralizing tourism and empowering regional stakeholders, the government is ensuring that growth reaches every county, every community so that every household can benefit from it. She extended special gratitude to Dr. Danail Alekov, lead facilitator of the workshop, and praised his experience in destination management, digital tourism tools, and public private partnerships. Madam Brohiri acknowledged the collaboration of institutional partners, including the University of Liberia, Fauna and Flora International, and the Liberia National Tourism Association for their “expertise that ensures discussions on the tourism sector will bridge policy, education, conservation, and private enterprise.” She encouraged participants to engage fully and share their experiences, challenged assumptions and to think boldly.  “Create actionable roadmaps that strengthens networks, and to develop   renewed commitment to position the country as a destination of choice in West Africa that will create a tourism sector that tells the world, who Liberians are; protect what they have and deliver lasting benefits for generations to come,” Dr. Danail Alekov, European Union trained tourism and communication expert, will lecture on tourism product development based on regional assets, public-private partnership, tourism regulation and taxation mode, tourism information systems and regional data reporting amongst other. The workshop brings together stakeholders in the tourism sector including the Liberia Revenue Authority, Liberia National Tourism Association as well as others.