The Nation Newspaper

Tag: tourism

  • Raking in more revenue through tourism

    THE global crash in world oil price has negatively affected the country. The income that the country had hitherto generated from sales of crude oil has dwindled drastically. This has affected the government’s ability to carry out projects and fund its expenditures. It is, therefore, exploring means of earning income outside oil that currently contributes more 90 percent of the country’s GDP.

    Recently, the New Telegraph newspapers in their maiden economic summit titled ‘Nigeria: Beyond the Oil Economy’ brought in experts to look at how the country can generate income through other sectors of the economy. In the light of the huge figures tourism generates every year in the world and manifest transformation it has brought to many countries, it was no surprise that tourism was among the economic sectors discussed as possible areas the nation could diversify into.

    The former governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, chaired the tourism session with a paper presentation by the ex-Director General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDC), Otunba Segun Runsewe, titled: ‘Our Heritage, Our Destination in a New Economy’.

    The paper and the discussion brought to the fore the huge tourism assets the country has and how the country could tap into them to help in transforming the economy and earn income.

    In his paper, Runsewe said the country, through tourism, could generate millions of jobs since tourism is human labour intensive. This, he said, could solve the high rate of youths unemployment and create millions of jobs in the country.

    He said: “With over 350 ethnic groups, Nigeria is the most culturally plural and most culturally diverse nation in black Africa. The richness of her natural environment and her culture and diversity of her people readily makes the Nigeria a potential tourist destination of choice in Africa. “

    Runsewe said areas such as eco-tourism, cultural cum historical tourism could be developed to attract tourists.

    His words: “Nigeria is generally known to have the most fascinating and most cultural festivals in the whole world. These cultural festivals are expressed in songs, dance, drama, incantations and so on. Festivals are an integral part of Nigeria’s culture, depicting the country’s custom and tradition in a very colorful way. These offer tourists unique opportunity to sample Nigeria’s culture in its undiluted form.

    “In fact, Nigeria has comparative advantage over other African countries in cultural tourism. Many of the cultural festivals in Nigeria have gained international prominence and have continued to capture the fancy of international audience.”

    Runsewe said nations like the United Arab Emirates who also have oil, new that oil does not last forever and as such started planning for post oil economy by diversifying to other sectors to generate income. The sector they turned to was oil. He said Nigeria could equally do the same.

    He concluded: “The reality of today requires that hitherto neglected sectors like agriculture, manufacturing , mining, solid minerals, among others, must strengthen in order to evolve and consolidate the economic base of our nation.

    “Above all, specific attention must be placed on our tourism sector in the process of diversification. This sector has shown greater prospect than oil. While the oil is good, tourism is better; while oil is exhaustible and has some negative effects on our environment, tourism is sustainable and environmental friendly.”

    In his contribution, Uduaghan said it was because of period such as the one the country was in that during his administration, he was harping on the phrase Delta beyond oil. Other discussants on tourism were Otunba Wanle Akinboboye, Tourism Consultant to the Ooni of Ife and proprietor of La Campagne Tropicana, Ikegun, Lagos and Mr. Ashamu Fadipe, former Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Tourism and Inter-governmental Relations.

    Besides the online presence, Wakanow has over 25 travel centers across Nigeria with an intention to open 100 centers by the end of 2016.  Wakanow also has offices in Dubai, UK and Ghana. New offices are planned in the US and Kenya.

    In a bid to diversify her business, Wakanow has also gone into the ground transportations business with the acquisition of Oya.com, a local bus, cargo and car hire services company.

  • Health minister vows to curb medical tourism

    Minister of Health Prof. Isaac Adewole has said his administration has initiated a new directive in the health sector to guard against medical tourism.

    He spoke at the Lagos State University (LASU) Alumni Association’s night of excellence at the Lagos Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Ikeja.

    Prof. Adewole said: “We want to change the rules. We want to stop people going out for things that can be done in this country.  If you are going to use your personal resources, we cannot stop you. But if you are going to use Nigerians’ money, then we need to determine how that money is spent and we do not want to look outside for things that can be done here.

    “Before we pay for it, we want to be sure it cannot be done in Nigeria. That is why we will sanction any doctor in the public hospital who refers a case that can be treated inside this country, out of the country.”

    The minister said his office would invest in research in  hypertension and other cases that involve dialysis, as well as partner public and private health sectors to achieve the agenda of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

    “Our health agenda is to implement universal health coverage using primary health care as the base of the pyramid of our health system. We shall also support the tertiary health facility and encourage them to showcase their expertise in areas of medical sub-specialisations. We will revitalise 14 of them (tertiary institutions) in the next two years. We are going through a process of external review to deliver health to 100 million Nigerians,” he said.

  • Raking in more revenue through tourism

    Raking in more revenue through tourism

    THE global crash in world oil price has negatively affected the country. The income that the country had hitherto generated from sales of crude oil has dwindled drastically. This has affected the government’s ability to carry out projects and fund its expenditures. It is, therefore, exploring means of earning income outside oil that currently contributes more 90 percent of the country’s GDP.

    Recently, the New Telegraph newspapers in their maiden economic summit titled ‘Nigeria: Beyond the Oil Economy’ brought in experts to look at how the country can generate income through other sectors of the economy. In the light of the huge figures tourism generates every year in the world and manifest transformation it has brought to many countries, it was no surprise that tourism was among the economic sectors discussed as possible areas the nation could diversify into.

    The former governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, chaired the tourism session with a paper presentation by the ex-Director General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDC), Otunba Segun Runsewe, titled: ‘Our Heritage, Our Destination in a New Economy’.

    The paper and the discussion brought to the fore the huge tourism assets the country has and how the country could tap into them to help in transforming the economy and earn income.

    In his paper, Runsewe said the country, through tourism, could generate millions of jobs since tourism is human labour intensive. This, he said, could solve the high rate of youths unemployment and create millions of jobs in the country.

    He said: “With over 350 ethnic groups, Nigeria is the most culturally plural and most culturally diverse nation in black Africa. The richness of her natural environment and her culture and diversity of her people readily makes the Nigeria a potential tourist destination of choice in Africa. “

    Runsewe said areas such as eco-tourism, cultural cum historical tourism could be developed to attract tourists.

    His words: “Nigeria is generally known to have the most fascinating and most cultural festivals in the whole world. These cultural festivals are expressed in songs, dance, drama, incantations and so on. Festivals are an integral part of Nigeria’s culture, depicting the country’s custom and tradition in a very colorful way. These offer tourists unique opportunity to sample Nigeria’s culture in its undiluted form.

    “In fact, Nigeria has comparative advantage over other African countries in cultural tourism. Many of the cultural festivals in Nigeria have gained international prominence and have continued to capture the fancy of international audience.”

    Runsewe said nations like the United Arab Emirates who also have oil, new that oil does not last forever and as such started planning for post oil economy by diversifying to other sectors to generate income. The sector they turned to was oil. He said Nigeria could equally do the same.

    He concluded: “The reality of today requires that hitherto neglected sectors like agriculture, manufacturing , mining, solid minerals, among others, must strengthen in order to evolve and consolidate the economic base of our nation.

    “Above all, specific attention must be placed on our tourism sector in the process of diversification. This sector has shown greater prospect than oil. While the oil is good, tourism is better; while oil is exhaustible and has some negative effects on our environment, tourism is sustainable and environmental friendly.”

    In his contribution, Uduaghan said it was because of period such as the one the country was in that during his administration, he was harping on the phrase Delta beyond oil. Other discussants on tourism were Otunba Wanle Akinboboye, Tourism Consultant to the Ooni of Ife and proprietor of La Campagne Tropicana, Ikegun, Lagos and Mr. Ashamu Fadipe, former Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Tourism and Inter-governmental Relations.

  • Tourism contributes $7.2t to global economy

    The tourism industry contributed over 7.2 trillion in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the global economy, a report by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has stated.

    Its President David Scowsill in a statement said tourism added 7.2 million jobs to the global economy.

    Scowsill, in the report, titled: ‘The economic impact report,’ which is WTTC’s flagship yearly research, stated that the document provided economic data on the contribution of the tourism sector on a global level.

    The report said: “In spite of uncertainty in the global economy and specific challenges to tourism in 2015, the sector grew by 3.7 per cent, contributing a total of 9.8 per cent to the global GDP.’’

    Travel supported 284 million jobs last year, an increase of 7.2 million, one in 11 jobs on the planet.

    The WTTC chief said though terror attacks, disease outbreaks, currency fluctuations and geopolitical challenges have impacted the sector at a country or regional level, tourism at the global level continues to produce another robust performance.

    He said travel contribution to GDP  outpaced overall GDP country growth in 127 of the 184 countries covered by the research.

    He listed the countries where tourism most markedly outperformed the wider economy last year to include Iceland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Uganda.

    According to Scowsill, the sector’s growth was stimulated by a worldwide increase in middle-class income households, an ageing population, which tended to travel more, making travel more accessible and affordable.

    The report however, said all regions of the world showed growth in total tourism contribution to GDP in 2015, adding that South-East Asia was the fastest growing region with growth of 7.9 per cent followed by South Asia, which grew 7.4 per cent.

    “In 2016, tourism’s total contribution to GDP is forecast to grow by 3.5 per cent, and is again expected to outpace global economic growth for the sixth consecutive year. Security concerns, border policies, oil prices, the strength of the U.S. dollar relative to other currencies, and other macroeconomic developments will continue to influence travel trends in 2016 and beyond,” the report stated.

    It, however, projected that over the next decade, tourism is expected to continue to outpace the world economy, growing by four per cent on average yearly.

  • Lagos to drive development with tourism

    The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode,  has said    the state plans to use  tourism, hospitality, entertainment and sports to drive development of the state.

    Ambode said this during his official tour of the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos.   Ambode also  announced plans by the Lagos State Government and the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture to collaborate to redevelop the National Museum situated in Onikan, Lagos. The redevelopment will include a new museum complex to be ready before next year’s celebration of Lagos at 50.

    He averred that the expected gains of the partnership with the Federal Government on the National Museum will further reduce gaps in job creation with the engagement of artisans and other related skills.

    In the long run, this will cause a leap in the State GDP while other positive multiplier effects will be recorded in the State economy.

    The governor in company of the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, during the tour expressed optimism that the collaborative effort of the state and the Federal Government will be beneficial to the country in terms of development and preservation of monuments.

    He referred to an on-going multi-storey car park complex being undertaken by the state government near the National Museum as a project that will complement the envisaged collaborative arrangement.

    Alhaji Mohammed expressed his joy at the interest shown and demonstrated by the state government and refered to the partnership as “a dream come true”

    In his own reaction, the Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr Folorunsho Folarin-Coker, noted that the synergy between the Lagos State Government and the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture under Alhaji Lai Mohammed will take the tourism and culture sector to the highest level ever witness in the country.

    Mr. Folarin-Coker expressed optimism that the partnership on the National Museum project portends a good omen for the entire country in terms of the deliverables and long term socio-economic values .

    The federal and the state government teams led by the Minister and the Governor included the Director General, National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Mallam Hamdala Usman, the Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr Folorunsho Folarin-Coker, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Arts and Culture, Hon Adebimpe Akinsola, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Steve Ayorinde  and permanent secretaries.

  • Forex demand for medical tourism

    SIR: The CBN recently decried the spate of forex demand by Nigerians seeking medical attention overseas.

    Putting the demand at a whopping 15% of the Deposit Money Bank’s total, the forex allocation cannot but exert an invidious pressure on the economy.

    The taste for foreign medical attention goes beyond mere Epicureanism or a primitive display of wealth, although this narrow pretext may suffice as exception to the rule. The decrepit state of our medical facilities and lack of upgraded training of our medical personnel have combined to push medical tourism beyond the threshold.

    A situation where practically all our government functionaries refuse to patronise local hospitals   and would rather jet out to treat minor ailments is unhelpful to the economy. Rather than subject the economy to the vagaries of unwholesome medical quests, it would be logical to prioritize the type of ailment that should attract forex grant.

    The federal government should also begin to monitor the health sector budget with intensive surveillance. The padding and introduction of discrepancies to the budget of the ministry of health is an unmistakable sign that appropriated funds to the health sector for so many years might have been diverted leaving our medical facilities in a state of disrepair.

    There is urgent need to set up a Budget Implementation Task Force to monitor project implementation across the nation with a mandate to expose graft.

    This is imperative due largely to the abuse and negligence of the National Assembly in the discharge its oversight functions as shown in the Halliburton scandal and the re-looting of the Abacha loot.

    Forex and hard earned resources would continue to go down the drain as long as the national budget cannot be used to achieve economic renaissance due to avoidable sabotage.

    • Bukola Ajisola,

    Victoria Island, Lagos.

  • ‘Nigeria loses $3b yearly to medical tourism’

    Despite Nigeria’s Foreign Exchange (forex) troubles, the country still spends over $3 billion yearly on medical tourism. There is need for a health care revolution in Nigeria to stop the huge sums spent yearly on going to India and other places abroad for simple medical treatments that can be dealt with here, Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) Director, Mr. George Etomi, has said.

    He said it is better to invest in healthcare infrastructure because health is wealth. “A robust healthcare infrastructure is critical to the nation’s survival. Go to the Indian Embassy, for instance, you will be embarrassed at the queue of Nigerians willing to pay any amount to go and do simple hernia surgery,” he said.

    While emphasising the need for a healthcare revolution that would improve the quality of health care delivery in Nigeria, Etomi bemoaned a situation where “In Nigeria, you can walk into a hospital as healthy man and then come back a corpse, because ordinary headache can kill you carelessly. So, we lose close to $3billion per annum just to get well.”

    Explaining the huge capital flight in medical tourism and its effects, Etomi said apart from the high cost of flights to Dubai, India and others, Nigerian medical tourists stay there for a month or more depending on the ailment; they must also go with one or two family members to look after them. He said during the waiting period, Nigerians pay hotel bills and buy things from Nigeria.

    The lawyer pointed out that while the simplest operation overseas costs between $20,000 and $30,000 (about N6 million and N9  million), there is no level of treatment one can get in Nigeria that will cost N9 million for a simple operation. “Let one Nigerian hospital give you N2 million medical bills, the whole world will know. But you will go and pay N9 million in India,” Etomi lamented.

    He, however, stated that for a healthcare revolution to happen in Nigeria there must be steady electricity supply. He therefore, uged Nigerians to support the current reform in the power sector, which, according to him, holds the key to improved public services.

    He said: “If we get power right, do you know the amount of savings we will make?” He pointed out, for instance, that steady power could take Nigeria out of the mess caused by drop in oil prices.

    He also said it would also boost Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs) alot. “Power will be available such that you will begin to get improved public services. We will forget depending on oil. We have to look at the multiplier effects and all these things rest on steady power supply,” he added.

  • ‘Let’s focus on tourism to engage the youths’

    ‘Let’s focus on tourism to engage the youths’

    Mrs. Sally Mbanefo is the Director-General of Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), which has brought her wide-range experience and expertise to promote the tourism sector in Nigeria.  Her personal passion and zeal for the job have helped her to take the sector to greater heights.  In this interview with Edozie Udeze in Abuja, she explained why culture drives tourism and how the private sector should always come in to make tourism a reality and create more jobs for the youths and more

    What is your total concept of tourism?

    My understanding of the concept of the sector in Nigeria is that this is the time for tourism.  It is time for all of us to diversify the economy away from total dependence on oil revenue.  The sector is rich enough to earn as much as oil has been earning for the nation, only if we give it the desired attention.  All over the world, like most of us can testify to, tourism is the largest employer of labour.  It is a fact no one can dispute and we are saying that with the proper indices in place, Nigeria can equally attain that enviable height where tourism is the king.

    Out of every eleven jobs, one is in the tourism sector.  It is a sector where people are ever busy; people want to travel, they are inquisitive.  They want to know the world; they want to have a handshake, a hug, trying to know what obtains in other people’s cultures and beliefs.  People want to feel good when they travel to places because that is what tourism is all about.  And you know when you die, you do not go with your money or hand bag or diamond or car or shoe.  But you discover that tourism is here to stay; it is an intangible commodity where people need to converge to feel the beauty of the world in all facets.  And this is what we do in the sector by ensuring that we preserve what is ours so that the world can come to see and appreciate us the more.

    About fifteen years ago, people invested in agriculture.  Now, you can see the benefits coming out of it.  What I am saying is that tourism is a value chain of activities in the effect that everything involved in it revolves around human action.  So our strategy is to go out there to diversify the economy away from the oil.  This will help to improve the GDP.  Then we need the involvement of the private sector.  Let them come in to invest.  Government cannot do it alone.  We need a private sector that is the beneficiary of the sector.  If you enter your car today, for instance, and you go from Asaba to Anambra and you fuel your car, is it not the oil and gas that is benefiting?  That, indeed, is tourism contributing to oil and gas and this goes into the economy of the nation.

    When you enter a hotel and you order for food, is that not both food and hospitality that go into it?  Even culture that gave birth to tourism is also benefiting.  Why couldn’t we give the same attention to tourism?  Tourism contributes 10% to the global GDP today and this is why we have to give all, we have to make it a priority.  Gambia, Kenya, Brazil, Egypt and all have taken their tourism higher than ever.  In Nigeria, where are we in this regard?  In 2014 people who came into Nigeria moved up to 4.1 million.  It was an improvement on the previous years.  Yes, people are coming to Nigeria, but we need to do more.  Our contribution still remains at 4%.  This is not so impressive when we have so many tourism sites and monuments in the country.

    We even have more sites than Gambia, South Africa, Senegal and others.  We have fantastic festivals compared to others.  We have incredible carnivals here and there in Nigeria.  Osun Osogbo is a world-heritage site and people troop in there every August to savour the aura of the festival.  We have the Jukun and the Mambila Plateau in the North.  We have a lot to offer.  Lagos State is a beehive of activities all year round.  This is why we are saying that if given the desired effects, we are ready to do more.  Lagos State is number one in the best tourism practice in Nigeria.

    What of other states?

    Lagos State should be emulated.  Most of their tourism programmes in Lagos State engage the youths and provide them with jobs.  This is the whole essence of it all and we say other states have to fall in line.  Nigerian youths need to be engaged and it is in tourism that we can do this.  Other states are doing the best they can.  However, involving our youths should be topical, should be paramount so that they too can resolve to make headway in the tourism sector.

    What are the practical things government ought to put in place to make tourism as attractive as it is in some of the countries you have mentioned?

    A thousand mile journey begins with the first steps at a time.  First of all we need to create awareness; awareness of a paradigm shift.  Nigerians should desire to first of all be patriotic, love what is their own.  We must love our country and what we have.  We must see what we have here as the best and what that they are here for a purpose.  People ask me, why did you leave banking where you were an acting Managing Director to be here now?  I was an Executive Director, competing with an MD of a bank, driving two bigs Jeeps; I was comfortable.  But let me tell you, it is my desire to serve the nation.  I am even ready to serve in a higher capacity if called upon.  But we have to expand the frontiers of tourism.  Unless Nigerians are able to leave their comfort zones to work out the best things for Nigeria, we may not be where we should be on time.  Now, I have to run after bankers, investors and others to come invest in the sector.

    For me the best thing is for us to believe in the system; believe in ourselves, in who we are.  We ought to be proud Nigerians.  Often foreigners are more proud Nigerians, the way they embrace our cultures.  They want to enjoy our cultures, our foods, our weather, our fashion and our environment.  This is what we, as Nigerians, should do first and show the way.  And this is what I do always by the way I dress and talk and perform tourism.  So, the believe system is to encourage people to be rooted in what is called Nigerian.  And that is why you see me often dressed in Nigerian colours.  I do not care how ridiculous I look or what people say.  I do it to promote our values and what essentially are ours.  I can wear the national colours anywhere, as long as people will think Nigeria and identify who I am and where I am coming from if I am outside Nigeria.

    Some people say if this Oyibo-looking woman can be a proud Nigerian, why not others?  Truly I am a full-blooded Nigerian and I am proud to be so.

    So, what is the statistics of the influx of foreigners into Nigeria today?

    Go to the airport and see the number of foreigners that come into the country everyday.  We are not talking about Indians or Chinese and others who are already resident in the country.  We are talking about Europeans and Americans; people who are coming here to explore our cultures in diversity.  And like you said, one of the ways to encourage people is to avoid double taxation, then encourage standardization and all that.  You know we have not been able to grade our hotels and even then it has not been recognized that tourism should be on the concurrent list.  Put it on the concurrent list.  These are some of the things we’ve been fighting in the sector.  Even members of the National Assembly have been hailing me, saying, eh Madam, you’ve been giving us headache the way you propel tourism.

    But they have to change the law.  If they do not do that there is no basis on which we can practice tourism more effectively.  First, we must ensure that the constitution recognizes tourism and gives it all the attention it deserves in the concurrent list.  Then we reduce double taxation.  So if the Federal government is setting standards without effectively curtailing taxation, we may not go far.  People pay tax to the local government, to the state and then to the federal government.  We have to stop that and have a uniformity in everything that we do.  The federal government is here and has to work successfully with the private sector to get it right.  Above all, tourism is private activity.  Then we need to seriously develop and diversify our domestic tourism.  We have a population and that is a great advantage.  170 million people is a lot.  If only 4 million find the habit to travel round just to explore, you can imagine the amount of money that will generate to the national economy.

    Again the corporate Nigeria has to be extracted to make their own contribution.  No matter how small they have to make their own contribution to make the national GDP higher.  This is why we want tourism to be sufficient.  When you go to defend the budget, it is the same story.  You defend and they will appropriate it.  You have headache because you run on deficit all the time.  And you will be working as if there is no budget.  This is not what it should be and therefore we have to find a way to make it totally self sustaining and people will have faith in tourism.  It has to be like the way they do it in The Gambia, Kenya, Egypt, South Africa, Ethiopia and the rest.  Even in small Cuba and in Jamaica where people are too tourism-conscious.  Go to the Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and see how they do in those places.  In these places love of country is key; people project what they have with love and patriotism.  When I go for international conferences and Nigerians see me, they are happy; they are excited because they see me in national colours of green-white-green.

    What of UNESCO sites?

    Ah we can’t do it alone.  We need the cooperation of state governments to achieve this.  We have so many of such natural sites that can be upgraded and developed into UNESCO-World heritage sites.  States owe it to us to develop and project these sites to meet world standards.  They will reap from it if they do it.  See what Osun-Osogbo does to the state every year.  It is marvelous, indeed.  Once the states have done it, we’ll carry it on our heads and market it.  We have to work to get the necessary recognition for them.  We have over 500 natural sites yet we need more to meet the world-heritage site.  These sites are good.  We know Lagos is ready, Ogun State is ready; Ogbunike Cave in Anambra State is there.  What I love most is that wherever I go, the state governments embrace me.  They are ready to work with us to make tourism grow.

  • NATOP harps on tourism’s role in diversified economy

    NATOP harps on tourism’s role in diversified economy

    In the year 2000, a group of tourism enthusiasts under the aegis of the National Association of Tour Operators (NATOP) took a  “faith visit” to Calabar, the Cross River State capital. They were led by the then President of NATOP,  Mrs. Fatimah Garbati. The idea was to look at tourism prospects in Cross River State and possibly advise the government of the state, which had shown enthusiasm, to go the way of tourism, how to go about.

    It was a visit that changed the fortune of tourism in Nigeria and the process midwifed what has become Nigeria’s first tourism destination. It was from the meeting of NATOP operators and the then first lady of Cross River, Mrs. Onari Duke, that the annual “Africa Biggest Street Party”, Calabar Carnival, came to fruition.  Other tourism projects equally followed.

    On Thursday,  February 11, at the banquet hall of the Transcorp Hotel, Calabar, a happy Mrs. Garbati, casting her mind back to the teething stage of Destination Cross River, exclaimed: “ We never knew it was going to be as big as this.”  Calabar has become the annual holiday destination for many Nigerian and foreigners and they come to participate in the 16 km-dance train call Carnival Calabar.

    The city itself has taken the hue of a tourist destination. From the Marina leisure complex, historical sites like the walls of the colonial prison, the National Museum complex, the Millennium Park, the old Calabar areas like the Duke town, the city has become the tourism capital of Nigeria. Even during the low season, the non-festival period, the streets are kept spotless. The traffic is nothing to be worried about. The food culture is alive kicking.

    It was because of this that NATOP returned 16 years after to the city they helped transform. It was for the annual general meeting with the theme, “Nigerian Tourism: The missing link in the diversified economy”.

    Speaking on the topic, renowned economist, Professor Pat Utomi, went down memory to bemoan how the country’s over reliance on oil has destroyed Nigeria’s economic growth. He insisted that it was a blessing that the global price of oil has fallen as it makes the country think of alternatives.

    NATOP President Nkereuwem Onung said holding the association’s AGM in Calabar was like home coming for them.

    He said: “ Nigeria is the biggest suppliers of tourists in the continent of Africa. Even though we have more of outbound tourists, that is how it is supposed to be. We have different classes of tour operators, the outbound and in-bound. Like you will agree, even though tourism has suffered a setback in the continent last year, we have a shrink of three per cent in terms of arrivals, as against a four per cent increase of the previous year.

    “What we are saying is that despite the setback, NCAA still told us that Nigerians spent about 1.5 billion dollars on airline tickets last year. That makes us a veritable partner in the industry. We have always been at the forefront of tourism, no matter how you look at it. So, the AGM this year is to give our tour operators a new direction.

    “That new direction is that we know most of you are marketing other destinations, but we need to also bring people to Nigeria  which is  a core mandate of the association . Beyond regulating the way tour operators behave in terms of fair practices and all of that, we also need to market Nigeria as a destination.

    “We went to look at what happened in Calabar in the year 2000 when NATOP, with the Cross River State government kick-started what is today Destination Cross River. NATOP members were in the forefront of doing that. We also want to make everybody understand that if we did that with Cross River, we can do that with any other state that is willing to partner us.

    “Outside partnering Cross River State to give birth to destination that is creating impact, you will agree that NATOP was part of the Seven Wonders of Nigeria. I think that what we did was that we did our best to say look, we have qualified destinations in Nigeria that is worth marketing.

    “We have, as a body, participated in the World Travel Market in 2012, the first by private operators other than NTDC staff . In 2012, Otunba Segun Runsewe accorded us that privilege whereby we had tour operators in their number manning the Nigeria stand, asking questions and networking. All these, among others, were what we tried to do.”

    This, she said, informed her presence at the event since it was the tour operators that would package tourists to cultural events in the country. She used the opportunity to unfold the pet project agency.

    She said: “The dwindling oil price and its attendant effect on the Nigerian economy has again brought to the fore the imperatives and urgency to revisit and commit ourselves to the diversification of the national economy.

    “This is why our discussion here this is very important as those of us in the industry must help create the awareness and knowledge that is required to place the creative industry on the same pedestal like oil, solid mineral and agriculture.

    “This is necessary because we need to change the perception and the way culture is viewed, especially by policymakers and encourage them to see and appreciate culture of which the creative industry is part of an economic prism. Like any other economic sector, it needs support, it needs investment, it needs infrastructure and above all, it needs the conducive environment to grow and develop. That is the crux of my paper today.

    “Allow me speak first, of the National Council for Arts and Culture, our mandate, what we do and our plans for the future especially as it concerns tourism. The National Council for Arts and Culture was created in 1975 as a front-line agency of the now Federal Ministry of Information and Culture.

    “It has the responsibility for the overall co-ordination, development and promotion of the living arts and culture in Nigeria. As part of its core mandate, NCAC is saddled with the responsibility to foster the development, appreciation and promotion of literary, visual and performing arts and culture. It is also expected to identify, develop and promote the country’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage.

    Indeed l should inform this August gathering that NCAC has a very ambitious plan to introduce more specialized festivals between now and 2017.

    These are:   The National Durbar Festival; the National Boat Regatta Festivals; the National Masquerade Festival; the Festival of Nigeria Contemporary Arts; the National Folk Songs Festival and traditional textiles and fashion fair.

    “The rational for these are obvious or should be clear. First, it is in fulfilment of the core mandate of NCAC, which is the coordination, development and promotion of the living arts and culture of Nigeria. Secondly, festivals are today recognized as one of the fastest growing form of tourism and a number of countries continue to effectively utilize their festivals to attract tourists to their countries.

    “This is so because, cultural festivals are basic ingredients that animate and promote tourism.  Culturally, festivals enrich cultural experiences and develop support and audiences for culture. They engage with many arts forms, including discovering new ones, styles and genres and help to promote the cultural and creative industries.  improves on local infrastructure.”

    The tour operators elected new executives to pilot the affairs of the body. They are: “President – Nkereuwem Onung  (Remlords Tours); Vice President -, Muyiwa Salami  ( Dvine Tour Brokers); General Secretary, Ime Udo (Leadway Tours); Treasurer ,  Bolaji Mustapha  (Get Centre). Ex- officio members are Ikechi Uko (Akwaaba/ATQ Tours); Fatima Garbati(Speed Tours),  Abiodun Sanni (Tourways International); Chinyere Umuasiegbu (Globallinks Travels) and Ladi Jemi – Alade  (Jemi Alade Tours).

  • Ife becomes Tourism Zone today

    The ancient city of Ile Ife will welcome hundreds of dignitaries today as it becomes a tourism zone.

    The event is holding today at the Palace Ground, Enuwa Square, Ile-Ife.

    The programme lined up  for the official declaration of Ile Ife as a tourism zone  started yesterday with a play titled Odigbose (An African account of Slave Trade).