According to statistics released by the National Tourist Board, the workforce in the tourism industry dropped drastically by 3,242 from 6,073 employees in 2014 to 2,831 in 2015.
This 47% drop may be attributable to the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), which had prompted the government to declare a State of Emergency along with restrictions on movement.
These emergency regulations are believed to have adversely affected the tourism and entertainment industry far more negatively than most others, since entertainment spots were ordered closed by the government as well as restaurants along the beaches.
The nature of the spread of the EVD also caused the hotels and guesthouses to close down and shut their doors as many of their tourist clientele fled the country. However a few of the hotels were kept in operation by an influx of expatriate medical workers who came in to help fight the disease.
The figures show that the tourism industry employs more men than women, with 55% of the employees being women, leaving the men trailing with 45%. This has been a consistent pattern since 2012 where 65% of the workforce in the tourism industry was made up of female staffs. The EVD therefore reduced the female dominance by 10%, which is quickly being regained as the country recovers.
Monday January 25, 2016