The Minister of Tourism, Mrs Lola Ade-John, says tourism operators should not be discouraged in marketing Nigeria as a choice destination for tourists because of its challenge of insecurity.
Ade-John made the plea on Thursday in Ilorin during the Eighth Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the National Association of Tour Operators (NATOP).
She said several countries across the world have their own tales of insecurity, and the problem was not peculiar to Nigeria.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the AGM was “Tourism as Catalyst for Progress, Peace and Partnership”.
“This meeting here helps us to express what we have in Nigeria. We are not creating the experiences we should create. Forget the security challenge in Nigeria, every country has security issues.
“Don’t allow the problem of insecurity discourage you from promoting Nigeria.
“And in marketing our dear nation, you should think of promoting experiences. Tourists can come to Nigeria to look at our climate. That is an experience.
“We have beautiful beaches with mangroves. Why are we not selling these things? We should stop complaining about government and create experiences ourselves to attract tourists.
“We have experiences you can package for tourists from the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs), in which there are communities with stories and traditions to be packaged as tours,” the Minister said.
Ade-John also advised Nigerians to speak positively about the nation and remain proud of same.
“We should not be engaged in de-marketing our country, and we should speak positively about this beautiful country.
“We are already engaging the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to further work on making people realise the essence of being proud of our country and projecting a positive image of the country.
“The time has come to imbibe in us the pride that Nigeria stands for. We need to sell our country. I want more investors to come and invest in the industry.
“I want tourism operators to be more visible at the airports, marketing Nigeria,” she said.
Also at the occasion, Mr Onung Nkereuwem, Chairman, NATOP’s Board of Trustees, said: “I am proud of the progress we have made in promoting and marketing Nigeria as a destination in spite of the harsh economic realities.
“So, we will continue to work tirelessly to create an enabling environment for our members to thrive.
“This AGM is an elective one and as such, we urge you to elect leaders who will accommodate the aspirations of the young tourism operators, and women in tourism, and set new goals.
“Let us remember the power of unity, collaboration, and innovation. Let us work together to promote sustainable tourism practices, enhance the quality of our services, and showcase the beauty and diversity of our great nation,” he said.
Speaking also, Mrs Ime Udo, National President of NATOP, said NATOP as a driver and stimulator of tourism development was utilising the AGM to identify, explore and promote destinations.
Udo said the platform was also meant to engage policy makers in areas of collaboration, infrastructure development and best practices within the tourism industry.
“While we are grateful for the partnership with the Kwara Government to host our annual conference, we also commend Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for his visionary leadership and proactiveness on matters of tourism.
“This is evident in the enormous support we have received towards the planning of the AGM and conference.
“Our approach has achieved tremendous success, stimulating awareness and growth in the states where we have held our AGM.
“We are excited that it also allows tourism operators gain first-hand experience of these destinations, enabling them to curate tourism packages to these places,” she said.
“Tourism is a significant contributor to economic development, cultural exchange, and international understanding.
“It possesses the potential to unite nations and communities, foster global citizenship, and promote peace and prosperity,” she added.
Mr Bayo Adedeji, the Group Chief Executive Officer of wakanow, also spoke at the occasion on the sub-theme “Partnership for Progress: Shaping the Future of Tourism”.
He advocated an intensified effort by Nigerians to travel within the nation for tourism purposes.
Adedeji said this would further boost the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the nation.
He said partnership among practitioners within the value-chain of the tourism industry should be the new goal for all.
Also lending his voice to the promotion of local tourism, Dr Kabir Masanawai, the Executive Director, Economic Development and Investment, spoke on the sub-theme “Peaceful Destinations, Progressing Economies: The Role of Tourism”.
Masanawai urged the Federal Government to sustain the celebration of local festivals and carnivals like the Carnival Calabar, Argungu Fishing Festival, the Abuja Carnival and more.
He said the youths should also be engaged more in the promotion of tourism destinations as they were equipped to be tech-savvy.
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