By Rufus S. Berry II, MBA
To my good friend Madam Princess Eva Cooper, Director General of the Liberia National Tourism Authority (LNTA), and to every Liberian who still believes in the future of this country:
Liberia has everything necessary to become one of Africa’s greatest tourism destinations. We are blessed with beautiful beaches, mountains, forests, waterfalls, resorts, rich culture, and some of the warmest people on earth. From Marshall to Robertsport, from Thinkers Village to the southeastern region, Liberia possesses natural beauty many countries spend billions trying to create artificially. Yet despite all these blessings, Liberia continues to drive tourists away for one simple reason:
Lawlessness.
No serious tourism industry can survive where public roads are turned into illegal marketplaces, where garbage controls communities, where criminals and reckless “PhePhe” and Kehkeh operators dominate major corridors, and where government only appears when presidential convoys are passing through.
The greatest embarrassment is Boystown Junction in Marshall, the first major impression many visitors receive after leaving the airport en route to Liberia’s beautiful beaches and resorts. Instead of seeing order, safety, cleanliness, and national pride, visitors encounter complete chaos: illegal roadside markets, dangerous traffic conditions, uncontrolled commercial activity, lawless bike operators, mountains of garbage, and an almost nonexistent enforcement presence.
It is not simply ugly. It is dangerous. It is shameful.
No tourist in his or her right mind would feel safe returning after witnessing such complete disorder immediately upon entering one of Liberia’s most important tourism corridors.
Even worse, the existing market remains largely empty while people illegally occupy the main roads with complete impunity.
This is not poverty. This is failed leadership. This is failed enforcement.
And sadly, the same disgrace is now spreading across critical tourism routes, including the road leading to the beautiful Tropicana Resort in Thinkers Village, where roadside selling and disorder have almost swallowed the entire corridor.
Let us stop pretending. Weak leadership destroys beautiful nations.
No amount of tourism marketing, international conferences, or glossy brochures can overcome domestic chaos. Investors and tourists judge countries within minutes of arrival — and Liberia is failing that test badly.
The solutions are obvious:
Cities are not built by speeches. They are built by discipline, planning, enforcement, and the courage to confront disorder. Liberia has everything required to become a world-class tourism destination, breathtaking natural beauty, a strategic coastal location, rich history, vibrant culture, and resilient, welcoming people. The potential is undeniable. But potential alone builds nothing.
What continues to hold us back is the absence of sustained political will to enforce standards, protect public spaces, uphold sanitation, preserve national landmarks, and confront the culture of disorder that is slowly destroying the image and future of our country. Until we develop the courage to value, protect, and properly manage what God has blessed us with, we will remain trapped in the painful cycle of destroying with our own hands the very nation we claim to love.
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