From Board Resolution to Action

Liberia Advances Tourism Satellite Account Implementation

MONROVIA, LIBERIA

Liberia has moved from policy commitment to practical implementation of its first Tourism Satellite Account, following the signing of a Liberia National Tourism Authority Board Resolution and the commencement of work by the Inter-Agency Tourism Satellite Account Technical Working Group.

The Board formalized the national direction through Resolution No. LNTA_01048-26, which adopted the Tourism Satellite Account as Liberia’s framework for measuring and reporting the economic contribution of tourism. The Resolution aligned the initiative with internationally recognized standards used by UN Tourism and other global statistical institutions, giving the country a clear institutional mandate to produce credible and comparable tourism data.

That mandate is now being translated into action. On September 16, 2026, the Phase I Inception Report and Detailed Work Plan were presented to the Inter-Agency Tourism Satellite Account Technical Working Group at the TSA Secretariat, housed at the Liberia National Tourism Authority. The session marked the formal commencement of the Working Group’s technical work and established the pathway for implementation over the next 24 months.

The initiative also builds on a Memorandum of Understanding endorsed by UN Tourism and brings together the public institutions that generate, manage, and use the data required to measure tourism across the national economy.

Tourism activity extends across transportation, accommodation, food services, entertainment, culture, trade, employment, immigration, aviation, and other sectors. Measuring its full value therefore requires coordinated data collection and analysis across several institutions.

The Technical Working Group currently includes representatives of the Ministry of Transport, Liberia Revenue Authority, Liberia Immigration Service, Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services, and the Liberia National Tourism Authority. The Central Bank of Liberia, Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Ministry of Labor, and Liberia Airport Authority are also expected to join the process as implementation advances.

Through the Working Group, participating institutions will strengthen data-sharing, agree on common definitions and methodologies, address existing information gaps, and support the development of a national tourism statistics system that meets international standards.

During the 24-month implementation period, the program will initially develop six priority TSA tables covering tourism expenditure, production, supply, consumption, and employment. The process will also support the establishment of a dedicated TSA Compilation Unit at LISGIS to strengthen national ownership and ensure that tourism data can be produced and updated beyond the pilot phase.

The Pilot Tourism Satellite Account is targeted for submission to UN Tourism by Month 24. Its completion will give Liberia a stronger basis for national planning, resource allocation, investment promotion, destination marketing, policy development, and performance monitoring.

Until now, tourism’s contribution to Liberia’s economy has largely been reflected through fragmented information and sector-specific estimates. The Tourism Satellite Account will connect data from across government and quantify the economic activity generated by visitors and tourism-related businesses.

This evidence will help show tourism’s contribution to jobs, household income, enterprise growth, government revenue, and demand across hotels, restaurants, transportation services, cultural and heritage sites, entertainment, crafts, and other connected industries. It will also help decision-makers compare tourism with other sectors of the economy and assess the return on public and private investment.

For investors and development partners, credible and internationally comparable statistics will provide a clearer picture of market opportunities and sector performance. For government, the data will support stronger budget proposals, better-targeted interventions, and policies grounded in measurable results.

The transition from the signing of the Board Resolution to the commencement of the Technical Working Group demonstrates Liberia’s commitment to building a tourism sector guided by evidence, coordination, and accountability.

As implementation continues, the Liberia National Tourism Authority and its partner institutions will work to ensure that the Tourism Satellite Account becomes a sustainable national system rather than a one-time study. The objective is clear: to give Liberia the data required to understand tourism’s true economic value, plan with confidence, attract investment, and communicate the sector’s contribution to national development with credible evidence.