Tourism Minister Urges Nigerians To Preserve, Showcase Attraction Site
… As Top 100 Tourism Personalities in Nigeria Bags Award Of Recognition
THE Minister of Tourism, Lola Ade- John has said that spotlighting and promoting the magnitude of scenic views and tourist attraction sites in Nigeria is the only ground to boost the sector.
Lola Ade- John said this at the National Museum Onikan Lagos last weekend during the 2024 Travellers Awards’ Top 100 Tourism Personalities in Nigeria, an initiative that recognises individuals who have not only significantly impacted the growth and development of the tourism sector in Nigeria by aligning with the country’s tourism goals and fostering collaboration among stakeholders nationwide, but also demonstrated exceptional leadership and innovation in the travel and tourism industry.
The minister who urged stakeholders to collaborate amongst each other for the development of the sector said regardless of setbacks in the country, Nigeria still has a huge number of attraction sites to awe tourists.
Lola Ade- John said: “Although Nigeria tourism is still struggling due to lack of preservations of indigenous and historical antique, artefact etc that could have attracted more tourists into the country and in turn boost the nation’s economy, however, if we all make an effort to develop our tourist sites in each states, the sector would rise again. Nigeria has natural attractions that make the sector still viable, and the Federal Government is willing to support growth in the sector by setting the standards, partnering with local and state governments to bring in foreign and local investors into the sector.”
She continued: “The focus is to ensure that we resuscitate the Nigerian tourism potential, engage the tourism industry at local and state government levels, work with stakeholders and private investors. Though we are yet to have the support we need to showcase all the tourism sites that we have, we are going to achieve tremendous growth by the grace of God. The Ministry will ensure to empower and encourage people to promote our tourism sites.”
In his address, the convener of the initiative Ikechi Uko noted the necessity for everyone to intentionally boost the tourism sector through available resources. “Having this event here at the National Museum itself was intentional. Also one of the highlights of this event is to showcase the beauty of Nigeria through photographs. “Tourism could also be promoted through story- telling and photography. If you need to use any picture for tourism promotion in Nigeria, you need to confirm such for accuracy. Any picture that is not authenticated should not be used or used wrongly.”