Sierra Leone has enlisted top British actor Idris Elba, whose father is from the country, to help secure direct flights from the UK to increase visitor numbers.

British Airways ceased flying to the capital Freetown during the pandemic but is currently in preliminary discussions with the West African country about resuming services.

Fatmata Mida Hamid Carew, general manager of Sierra Leone’s national tourist board, revealed that Idris approached BA on the country’s behalf. “He wants to build a tourism hub in Sierra Leone. We’ll try to have a tete-a-tete with BA at WTM London], but I can’t say for sure it will happen.”

There are currently no direct flights between the UK and Sierra Leone. Several airlines, including Air France and Turkish Airlines, offer direct services to the country from their respective hubs.

Hamid Carew said the UK was currently Sierra Leone’s second best-performing source market behind the US. She revealed this year, Sierra Leone had welcomed 70,000 international tourists up to September, adding the country’s tourism chiefs hoped to surpass 140,000 by the end of 2023.

“We hope to achieve these numbers because we’re coming into the peak season in November and December,” said Hamid Carew. “People come to Sierra Leone for the nature, culture, wildlife, the people, and the beaches. We have some of the world’s best beaches.”

Sierra Leone is targeting another 50,000 international visitors next year. “We do want more visitors from the UK market,” she continued. “We’re expecting the work we’ve done to translate and boost UK visitor numbers.

Hamid Carew pledged to double the number of fam trips to Sierra Leone next year, taking the total to 10.