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  • States must develop tourist sites, says NTDC boss

    To diversify the economy beside oil and increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), states have been urged to develop tourism sites.

    Director General (DG) of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Mr Folorunsho Coker, who made the call, said Nigeria must create brands when dealing with our tourism sites to encourage prospective tourism and in return earn revenue from the sector.

    He said that tourism sites and venues of cultural festivals must be equipped with necessary facilities like emergency services, telephone services, parking space, relaxation spots and conveniences to make people feel comfortable enough to visit.

    Mr Coker stated this in Abuja while chatting with journalists in Abuja. He added Nigeria is working on projecting a good image of itself abroad, especially in Germany where it hosted the first Nigerian cultural day in Berlin which featured Nigerian music, food and art etc.

    He said that beside the cultural festival, the country is also working on an Afro-beat festival which will further introduce the country’s art, music, and more to the world.

    “There are thousands of festivals in Nigeria on an annual basis, we relate to quite a few in different geopolitical zones in the country from the Durbar, Ojudioba, Eyo in Lagos, new yam festivals, Argungu fishing festival and a lot more but we cannot do all but one thing that we have found with all the festivals that we have seen is that they have not gone through what makes things commercially successful, what makes Manchester United what it is in sports tourism or Wimbledon, the Olympics, etc., we must create a brand, have a brand identity that goes into merchandising, some if the festivals in some of this tiny African countries, they produce them in an orderly manner people don’t feel threatened because there is no crowd control, people have minimum requirements like clean rest rooms, good and safe food, drinks, emergency health services, you see that in festivals around the world but is it seen in ours?

    “We have written to most of the organisers of these festivals the processes and things to do, how many times are people going to be interested in people doing the same dance and blowing of horns in a dusty field, create a stage, a platform and make it a viewing experience for tourism. And the sites must be maintained. There are opportunities for state government to develop their tourism sites, we don’t have the funding to handle it on our own but the responsibility to work with those that request for partnership with us, we have spoken to Calabar, Kano, Lagos and some of the state governments that have robust festivals. Google Nigeria was launched last week, we have had a close relationship with Google arts and culture, to see both YouTube and Google come to Nigeria and engage our creative industry in such a positive manner that they are helping to promote our indigenous talents. It is such opportunities that become employment, the employment becomes income and out of such incomes that we get taxation back,” he said.

  • NTDC, UNWTO partner on TSA implementation

    NIGERIAN Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) and the Technical Mission on United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) will collaborate on the establishment of tourism statistics and tourist account.

    The Technical Mission on UNWTO, led by David McEwen, made this known during a visit to the NTDC Director-General, Mr. Folorunsho Coker, at the corporation’s headquarters.

    Coker said the interest rate on funds for tourism development and promotion should be single digit. His words: “Tourism business cannot thrive with double digit interest rate.”

    He reiterated his road map for tourism, a five-point action plan –  Corporate Governance & Regulations, Human Capital Development, Infrastructural Development, Events and Marketing, and Finance & Investment (CHIEF)  – to promote and develop the industry by encouraging domestic tourism and ease of doing business in Nigeria.

    Coker, who described cottage industry as the bedrock of tourism development, underscored the importance of corporate governance and regulations reviews.

    “The new NTDC law has been passed by the Senate, now awaiting concurrence. When finally concurred, it will allow NTDC to treat tourism as business, do joint ventures (Public-Private Partnership), while also enabling the Corporation to behave in a manner like the Tourism Board of Kenya, Gambia and any country that depends on tourism, thereby allowing us to generate good revenue for government and create wealth for the people.

    “The corporate governance and regulations that need to be changed are not just at the Federal Government alone. We also need to look at state as well as the local government tourism law, and it must also be passed to the private sector,” he added.

    He stressed the need for improved human capital development, which according to him, will speed up the development and promotion of tourism in the country. He added: “Human capital development is not limited to the public sector, but it should also be well taken care of in the private sector.”

    He noted that the marketing of the tourism events, potentials and assets must be digital.

    McEwen, who commended the efforts of the Coker-led administration at promoting domestic tourism, said the group was ready to collaborate with NTDC on the establishment of tourism statistics and tourism account.

    He, however, noted that though measuring domestic tourism is quite challenging, his committee would come up with machinery that would ensure a considerably perfect measurement of domestic tourism traffic in the country.

    Meanwhile, the paramount ruler of Butura, SafButura John Mallo Makwal, has also sought collaboration with the  NTDC on the packaging and promotion of NAHWAI Festival for national and international acceptance.

    Makwal who led the Traditional Council from the Ron-Kulere Chiefdom in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State on a courtesy call on the Director-General of the NTDC, said: “Apart from the cultural festival, we are ambitious to grow other aspect of tourism infrastructure like accommodation and entertainment, but they are expensive. In this regard, in my capacity as the traditional ruler and my council, we humbly request the Director-General to take over one of our monuments – the TASH bridge.”

    The bridge, according to him, is a colonial cultural heritage, which is even being considered for listing as one of the UNESCO heritage sites.

    Coker disclosed his intention to hold a central region festival that will attract the tourists to the North Central of the country. He described Plateau State as tourism-friendly, saying the state is blessed with good tourism assets, which abounds in natural scenic vistas, beautiful sceneries, rich in cultural, historical and with an excellent weather condition.

    He enjoined the people of Plateau to give tourism a voice, noting that tourism must be treated as serious business if it would thrive in the country, adding that ‘Tourism is the business of transportation, hospitality and entertainment that consume the products of arts and culture.’

    Coker, who also made case for good titles for the traditional destinations, noted that the titles could be used to raise funds for the development of the sites, while suggesting development of clusters around the sites to stimulate productivity and commerce, which according to him, would propel revenue generation.

    The NTDC boss, however, said insecurity is not peculiar to Nigeria, “hence it should not deter us from promoting tourism, and wooing foreign tourists to the country.”

    Pledging that he would do all within his capacity to re-direct the sector and bring our hidden juice that will not only benefit the country, but also positively impact the lives of citizens, the DG said his already launched five-letter word action plan – CHIEF – would help him realise his goal.

  • Ooni, NTDC back TIDA conference

    Ooni, NTDC back TIDA conference

    All is set for the Tourism Innovation and Development Advantage (TIDA) Conference planned by Skyview Communications Company Limited.

    As part of its awareness campaign, the organising partners visited the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi.

    During the visit at the Ooni’s palace in Ile-Ife, the monarch gave his blessings to the conference, billed for February 15, at the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos.

    He reiterated his interest in the growth of domestic tourism and the preservation of the nation’s rich heritage, which he has consistently championed since he was crowned in December 2015.

    According to him,  improved local tourism will benefit the people and the society. “I support TIDA initiatives and its twin projects – Virtual Tourism and the Tourism Entrepreneurship Development Academy (TEDA) –that will be unveiled at the conference. It is a step in the right direction,” he said.

    The country’s top federal promotion and regulatory body, the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), has also thrown its weight behind the conference. According to a letter of endorsement, signed by Funebi Out-Umondak on behalf of the corporation’s Director-General, Folorunsho Coker, “TIDA will help re-direct the negative perception about the country and present Nigeria as a viable tourism destination.

    ‘’The corporation believes that using virtual tourism to promote tourism would captivate the minds of would-be tourists to the vast tourism potential of the country.”

    With the aim of tapping into the  tourism industry, Skyview Communications Company is partnering other organisations to hoist the  conference, its CEO, Femi Lawson, said.

    He observed that his company is partnering stakeholders, such as Travelnet Log, Avant Garde Tours, and Nigeria Tourism Awards, to develop the tourism potential of Nigeria.

    Earlier, at a briefing on the  conference,  Lawson said a virtual tourism on the country would be unveiled at the TIDA.

    Besides, he said his firm would also introduce the Tourism Entrepreneur Development Academy  (TEDA).

    One of the partners, Pelu Awofeso, of Travelnet log, urged that instead of promoting insecurities that are not the major reality in Nigeria, we could, with the help of our rich culture, project a better image of the country, especially since every country has its own share of insecurity.

  • NBS partners NTDC on tourism statistics

    NBS partners NTDC on tourism statistics

    Statistician-General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Dr. Yemi Kale, has said until now “tourism data has been disaggregated and oftentimes fragmented.” He, however, said the NBS has begun building a structure to compile the Tourism Satellite Accounts, which will be a new framework for the aggregation of tourism statistics in the country.

    Kale, who spoke in Lagos at an interactive session with members of the Association of Travel & Tourism Writers of Nigeria (ATTWON), assured that “we have begun to build the structure to compile the Tourism Satellite Accounts.”

    The NBS, according to him, has established collaboration with stakeholders such as the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) and the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to build a system of tourism statistics that feeds into the TSA.

    He added that a broader platform would soon be established to function as a forum where other stakeholders can put forward their contributions towards the development of a robust TSA.

    In attendance were stakeholders, which included the NTDC Director-General, who was represented by NTDC Zonal Coordinator, Mrs. Annette Ibe; Mrs. Lola Adewole of NANTA; Otunba Ayo Olumoko, Vice-President FTAN Southwest and Vice-President, FTAN Southeast, Mrs. Ngozi Ngoka,  at the interactive session tagged: “Kale Talks Tourism – The Nexus Between Travel and the state”. The session also marked the opening of the ATTWON Creative Hub in Lagos.

    Dr. Kale, who was represented by Technical Adviser to the Statistician-General, National Bureau of Statistics, Mrs. Lola Talabi-Oni, noted that developing tourism had various far-reaching benefits ranging from job creation to increased revenue through taxes and foreign exchange to improved local infrastructure. He said it directly impacts the transportation, accommodation & food services, and the arts and entertainment sectors.

    Stressing the importance of appreciating the NBS approach to tourism data to be able to have robust conversations on the figures, Dr. Kale said that the contribution of tourism to GDP using the Supply and Use Table of Nigeria is a measurement of Tourism Value Added. “Though limited in scope being dated 2010 to 2012, the Supply and Use Table is still a useful way to evaluate the growth and trends of the tourism sector. The contribution of tourism to GDP declined from 2.34% in 2010 to 1.77% in 2011 to 1.22% in 2012. Although transportation constitutes the highest contribution of Tourism to GDP, it declined from 70% in 2010 to just over 50% in 2012. On the converse, hotels and accommodation which contributed 20% to the tourism economy in 2010 grew to 45% in 2012,” he added.  He noted that though there were over 1000 hotels in Nigeria, very few were predominantly used by inbound tourists.

    He said that NBS was “in the process of designing a template, in collaboration with other supervisory agencies and associations to further capture the composition and main growth drivers within this sub-sector.

    “The rise of shared private accommodation for tourism purposes posed a challenge in monitoring necessitating ‘the possibility of incorporating this type of service within the Household Establishment Surveys that are conducted every quarter.’

    Dr. Kale said that very soon it will be possible to collect and disseminate indicators on occupancy rates, room capacity, bed capacity, total foreign guest nights and average room rates across the country, adding that the NBS is already publishing quarterly reports on international and domestic air passenger traffic.

    Providing an attractive outlook for Nigerian tourism, the guest speaker, said that the Nigerian tourism sector was resilient and had the tendency for continuous growth.

    “We have a large domestic market to feed into the demand side of tourism, and increasing globalisation and decreasing international air flight costs, have translated into an expanding foreign market and interest in Nigeria. It is projected that the Lagos airport will receive over 10,000 passengers per day by 2031.

    “For the supply side, we are endowed with various existing and potential areas of tourist attractions and destinations all across Nigeria.”

    He listed sites such as Gurara Falls in Niger State, the Calabar Drill Monkey Ranch and the Igbo-Ukwu Museum as some of the tourism assets, which generate significant domestic and international interest.

    He said to grow the tourism sub-sector there was need to build the right infrastructure, address the security and safety concerns of visitors, and harness the strength of local tourism affiliated departments and agencies in order to realise the full potential of tourism on our economy.

     

  • Nigerians charged to build bridges for quality relationships

    Nigerians charged to build bridges for quality relationships

    Nigerians have been enjoined to build bridges as this will help in finding common ground for robust relationship and conflict resolution among them.

    Speaking at the maiden edition of TEDx Mende Women Conference which was tagged “Yes, We Can Build Bridges” and held at G.R. A, Ikeja, Lagos, Senator Tokunboh Ogunbanjo, a lawyer in his address emphasized the need for people to identify and promote practice and policy that will create strong and closely coordinated partnerships and collaborations between families, youth, community and the society.

    According to Ogunbanjo, all hands must be on deck to advance partnerships among residential and community-based service providers, youth, and families to improve lives.

    Bridges in the words of the Curator of the Conference, Florence Atunwa Olumodimu, are links which as individuals, we build, transverse and sometimes even burn for better or worse. “When we support each other, then we start to build bridges. For this to occur, we must see each other as equals”, said Olumodimu.

    In her topic titled Women, Disability and Invisibility, Uri Ngozichukwuka, pointed out that any form of disability is the same; hence we all have disabilities in one area or the other. “However,
    disabilities are not liabilities; there is need for us to build bridges of empathy. If you cannot see ability in someone, that in itself is disability,” she said.

    She therefore enjoined people to assess people based on their ability.

    Domestic Violence according to the Executive Director, Project Alert, Josephine Effah-Chukwuma, knows no bound, it cut across age, religion, educational background and it can either be physical or emotional. For domestic violence to be totally eradicated, Chukwuma said there is
    need to engage men as mentors and role model adding that not all men are abusive.

    In her own words, the former Director General, Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation, NTDC, Sally Mbanefo, urged working mothers to create time to mentor their children by creating positive character bridges in them.

    According to Mbanefo, the purpose of building bridges could be to provide an escape from poverty to prosperity, from sickness to health, among others, hence the need to build strong character bridges.

    TED is an annual event that brings together the world’s leading thinkers and doers to share ideas that matter in any discipline — technology, entertainment, design, science, humanities, business,
    development. The talks at the conference, called TED Talks, are then made available to watch for free on TED.com. In the spirit of “ideas worth spreading,” TED has created TEDx, a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. TED is a global community, welcoming people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world.

    TED believes passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world.

    TEDxWomen brings together a global community of people interested in exploring how change begins: with innovative thinkers who catalyze ideas toward action. Over the past few years, TEDWomen and TEDxWomen have launched some powerful ideas into the world.

  • NTDC celebrates World Tourism Day

    DIRECTOR-GENERAL of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Mr. Folorunsho Coker, said there is a need for a restructuring of the laws governing the practice of tourism in Nigeria.

    Coker, who said this in a chat with journalists in Abuja during the 2017 World Tourism Day, enjoined Nigerians to learn to celebrate what the country is blessed with.

    Theme for this year’s celebration was Sustainable Tourism – a Tool for Development.

    World Tourism Day 2017, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), presents a unique opportunity to raise awareness on the contribution of sustainable tourism to development among public and private sector decision-makers and the international community, while mobilizing all stakeholders to work together in making tourism a catalyst for positive change.

    Coker said the change in the NTDC bill is to ensure international best practices in the nation’s tourism industry, adding that the 2017 bill, as against the Extant Act, would open up avenues of collaboration with different stakeholders, hoping to enter into partnership in order to promote the industry.

    The NTDC boss said: “We don’t have the ideal model to have a functional tourism framework compare with some of the countries around the world, but what we have is good. If we compare Nigeria, especially with regards to cultural destination heritage tourism that we traditionally known as tourism, to other countries, it is obvious that we are very wealthy when it comes to that.

    “And when you talk of security, it is an indisputable fact that there is no country that does not have a security issue. If you are at war, you have a problem. Every country has an element of crime, and they are dealing with it. Crime today has drastically come down in the country. France, Israel and London, among others, have suffered serious terrorist attack, but people still go there. So why are we so quick to say the negative about our wonderful country and her assets? We should also be quick to celebrate what we have.

    “However, our destinations and our cultural tourism assets have not been in the focus of our investment drives, both from the private and the public sector, hence, those things have suffered. But now, we are drawing attention to them, encouraging people to invest in these huge tourism assets.

    While describing Nigeria as a labyrinth of enviable tourism assets and potentials, the NTDC boss disclosed that over the years, Nigeria has been fortunate to develop new forms of cultural exchange, “like our music, which is huge around the world; our Noolywood is number two in the world; our fashion is simply superb, with our fashion designers competing at international level; our food, our religion enjoy good attention globally. These show how rich we are in tourism assets. It is now for us to decide what we want and the ingredients need, then put them together to prepare a sumptuous tourism meal to be enjoyed by our nation.”

    Coker described domestic tourism as the only form of sustainable tourism that is shock resistant to terrorist attack and foreign exchange depreciation, and the foundation on which the international tourism can land safely in terms of values for money, quality for service, maturity of both our destinations and institutions.

    Revealing his plans to ensure rapid growth of domestic tourism in Nigeria, Coker said, his administration created a sub-brand, ‘Tour Nigeria’, a 5-point action plan that aims to promote domestic tourism and encourage ease of doing business in Nigeria.

    The plan, which is acronymic ‘CHIEF’, according to him seeks to introduce global best practices for the tourism industry, encourage human capital and infrastructural development, and aims to promote and protect Nigeria’s cultural heritage, while also pushing for capital projects in the tourism sector.

    The relationship between tourism and the media is a special one. Tourism cannot be sold by keeping quiet. If I don’t enlighten the people on what they need to know about the importance tourism, the industry would always be on the back burner. I would not stop making noise about the need to embrace domestic tourism until the country begins to make good revenue through the industry.

    On the election of the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, as the Vice President of UNWTO, the DG stated that NTDC would be the greatest beneficiary of the election.

    “Alhaji Lai Muhammed, is a tenacious hardworking-driven person, and I am sure it is the recognition of his outstanding personal qualities, commitment to the growth of the industry and drive that earned him the position.

    “Again, the fact that the 2018 UNWTO General Assembly would be held in Nigeria is a great privilege for us. The experience of Nigeria by such a high level delegates would make the tourism ministers across the globe our cultural ambassadors. Bringing them to Nigeria would serve a great purpose: it would give us a fair hearing and reverse all the unfair constant negative conversations about Nigeria,” Coker said.

  • NTDC to promote tourism assets

    NTDC to promote tourism assets

    Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Director General Mr. Folorunsho Coker has promised to create a brand to promote the tourism assets in Borgu community in Niger State.

    He said new forms of tourism now exist in addition to the traditional ones, hence the need to use technology to drive the promotion and marketing of the Nigerian tourism assets.

    Coker spoke when he received the Emir of Borgu Kingdom, Muhammed Sani Dantoro (Kitoro IV), in his office  at the Corporation’s headquarters in Abuja.

    He expressed the readiness to work with the people in charge of the tourism assets of Borgu to explore the potential, which according to him, will hugely benefit the community, Niger State and Nigeria.

    The NTDC boss, who underscored the importance of Public-Private-Partnership in the bid to promote the Nigerian tourism assets, said: “joint venture is the way forward to sponsoring tourism promotion and development in Nigeria.”

    “We will work towards making Borgu International Dubar live up to its name, while also working on a digital campaign to market the tourism assets of Borgu to tourists, the community and the international community,” Coker noted.

    The Emir of Borgu, HRM Dantoro, earlier in his speech described the appointment of the NTDC boss as apt, saying it came at when the Nigerian government is diversifying the economy of the nation.

    “We know Coker will make the Corporation and the nation proud by improving the lots of the nation’s tourism industry, hence we are here to liaise with the NTDC to explore the tourism potentials in Borgu to the benefit of the community, state and the nation at large.

    “It is of note that Borgu’s landscape is dotted with enviable tourism potentials: It has the first National Park established by the federal government; the only West African English Speaking College of Wide Life School and the landmass is a combination of culture and agriculture. All these are readily available for exploration,” Dantoro said.

    The Emir of Borgu disclosed that the willingness of the Niger State Governor to develop tourism in the state, while he promised to establish a resort to be called Shagunu.

  • NTDC unveils action plan, Tour Nigeria

    NTDC unveils action plan, Tour Nigeria

    THE  Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) has unveiled a new  roadmap with medium and long-term objectives that will fast-track the growth of the industry.

    The strategic five-point action plan is to galvanise the nation’s tourism, improve service delivery and effectiveness in critical sectors of the industry.

    Speaking at the unveiling of the brand logo in Lagos at the weekend, NTDC Director-General Mr. Folorunso Coker, said the brand was aimed at promoting tourism in the country, adding that it would shape the narrative on Nigeria as a major destination for tourism, hospitality, arts and entertainment in Africa.

    He disclosed that activities heralding the event had commenced but the launch would hold on July 29.

    He said the Tour Nigeria brand was conceived to drive domestic consumption of tourism assets and products, create new channels of tourism markets, add to the nation’s GDP, create employment and increase spending in the economy.

    He also said it would showcase the vibrant and friendly energy of Nigerians through different creative expressions, leverage our abundant soft power to ‘celebrate our heritage and promote our natural and cultural tourism assets, destinations and people’.

    The acronym for the plan is CHIEF, which represents Corporate Governance & Regulations, Human Capital Development, Infrastructural Development, Events and Marketing, Finance and Investment.

    He identified travel, accommodation and entertainment/hospitality as key components to tourism that would be explored with airlines, hotels, car hire services, tour operators and others to bring out affordable package tours to encourage Nigerians to tour Nigeria.

    “There is need for conscious investment in the promotion of domestic tourism. We appeal to everyone in the tourism value chain at the Federal, state, local governments and the private sector to work together and be ready to drive the market with the Tour Nigeria brand,” he added.

    Coker said to create further awareness for the brand, NTDC would embark on a Tour Nigeria Bus Tour from the first week of August. The itinerary, he said, would take the corporation across the six geo-political zones of the country to deepen its reach, create awareness of the huge possibilities of tourism as a major revenue and employment generator, whilst generating goodwill and support for the brand.

    “We are deeply confident that the brand will strengthen the ties that bind Nigerians to each other and to the rest of Africa.

    ‘’The brand launch is the first of a series of monthly events to promote the best of Nigeria. Other events are scheduled to take place across the Federation and it will peak with the year ending – Countdown Nigeria celebration.

    “We have designed and populated our calendar of events with unique festivals and events that cut across the various entertainment channels of food, music, sports, religion, fashion and cultural festivals,” he added.

    As part of the plan, the corporation will champion the upgrade of beaches and waterfronts in Cross, Bayelsa and Lagos states to world- class standard, launch the National Tourism Fund as a joint initiative of the private and public sectors, including international donors and agencies, review of the NTDC Act No 81 of 1992 and all tourism laws, licensing rates and fees.

     

     

  • NTDC develops roadmap to boost domestic tourism

    The Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) has developed a roadmap to promote tourism assets.

    A unique brand logo will be used as a marketing tool.

    Speaking with reporters in Abuja at the weekend,the Director-General of the NTDC, Mr Folorunsho Folarin-Coker, said: “The brand is an ambitious attempt at promoting tourism in Nigeria that aims to shape the narrative on Nigeria as a major destination for tourism, hospitality, arts and entertainment in Africa.”

    He said the roadmap would showcase the vibrant and friendly energy of Nigerians through different creative expressions,leverage on the abundant soft power to celebrate Nigeria’s heritage and promote the natural and cultural tourism assets, destinations and people.

    According to Coker, the “Tour Nigeria” brand was conceived to drive domestic consumption of Nigeria’s tourism products, create new tourism markets, add to the nation’s GDP, create employment, and increase spending in the economy.

    “We are proudly the most populous black nation on Earth,home to the second largest film industry on the globe whilst also being the fashon, technological and creative hub in Africa,” he said

    To drive the initiative, a strategic five-point action plan with the acronym CHIEF was concieved. CHIEF represents Corporate Governance & Regulations; Human Capital Development; Infrastructural Development; Events and Marketing; and Finance & Investment.

    He said the key components to tourism such as travel,accommodation, hospitality and entertainment would be explored with airlines,hotels, car hire services, tour operators and others to bring out affordable package tours to encourage Nigerians to tour Nigeria.

  • NTDC partners NDDC on tourism development

    The Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) Director-General, Mr. Folorunsho Coker, has expressed his commitment to partnering the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and enlisting its intervention on some tourism assets in the Southsouth region.

    Coker, who spoke during a visit to  NDDC Chairman, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, in his office in Abuja, said it was necessary to redefine the sector by giving it an identity that is easy to sell  to stimulate growth as well as reposition the industry.

    “There is a need to redefine the tourism sector in Nigeria. We need to start within our domain, focusing on consumption of our assets, promotion and development of domestic tourism, which will have multiple effects on job creation and poverty alleviation while strengthening the GDP and our currency.  Everyone in the value chain of tourism must work together and be ready to drive the market with a new brand TOUR NIGERIA,” he said.

    Coker, who called for an investment in the promotion of domestic tourism, described Nigeria as a  market with a vibrant and dynamic business environment.

    “One of my strategic imperatives is to bring all stakeholders under one umbrella to sell a single all inclusive tour packages for Nigerians. We need to package tourism in a simple manner that the average Nigerian can use, if we don’t package it well, individuals cannot take advantage of it. Nigerian will understand the product better, because they are a most critical audience and will demand better value for their money,” he said.

    Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba congratulated the DG on his appointment given his exploits in the Lagos State Tourism Ministry.

    “We are very happy that you are at the helms of affairs in NTDC. We are very proud of what you did in Lagos State. You are on a bigger stage now and we expect you to make a difference in the tourism sector as you did in Lagos,” he said.

    Senator Egba said NDDC was an intervention agency, whose core mandate is to integrate and create partnerships with relevant agencies’ like NTDC, especially now that there is a shift from oil.

    He noted that if tourism could change the economy of Calabar, it could also do so in Nigeria. The NDDC mission, according to him, is to facilitate the rapid, ever-growing and sustainable development of Nigeria.

    The NDDC helmsman solicited the support of the DG to intervene in the on-going case with the Calabar National Museum, a national monument and as such cannot be tampered with.

    Senator Egba expressed the willingness of the Commission to work with NTDC in sailing the ship of the tourism sector because of its enormous potentials.