Hike in visa procurement worries tourists

Stakeholders in the tourism sector have identified high cost of visa procurement to Nigeria as one of the major challenges facing the economy

High cost of visa application overseas has been identified as one of the major factors discouraging tourists from coming into Nigeria. Other identified challenges are, poor infrastructure, power and insecurity.

According to investigation, US intending tourists pay 500 dollars just to obtain visa, UK

An American and lecturer from University Of Nigeria Calabar , UNICAL, Dr. Ivor Miller, said that the foreigners we see in Nigeria are not tourists but expatriate.

Further investigations show that some of the tourists go for solid mineral extraction as tourist and as a result, Nigeria as a nation has lost a lot for not having foreign patronages.

Speaking on Nigeria visas United States of America tourist, Aric Kenedy added that high rate of tourism visa inhibits Nigeria tourism .

He noted that tourism is expensive in Nigeria and felt it could be one of the things that affect tourism in Nigeria. ” I spent 500 dollars just for tourism visa, it is on a high side. But I do come here often, he noted”, he said

Kennedy said, another obstacle is Boko Haram and is a major challenge in Nigeria tourism and he advised the Nigeria to curb the menace .
Chief Executive officer of Nkosiwe Travel Agency, Chief Onyekachukwu Onyeka said that tourism in Nigeria is facing a lot of challenges.

According to him, the current insurgencies killing people in the North Eastern part of the country, the kidnapping of the south east and the Niger Delta youths that has engaged in all kind of atrocities in the recent past, Nigeria could less be described as tourist destination.

“The regime of years did not help to develop the infrastructure as you will see today in South Africa, Morocco or even Ghana. Nigeria is a country that can attract tourism in its greatness should the government give maximum attention to tourism development. The Tourism visa fee may not scare visitors away if indeed there are activities that can attract them to visit. The new President must invest in this sector while fighting other challenges as tourism can boost the economy of any nation, including USA and UK”, Onyeka said.

He added: “Like in Anambra State, the Current governor Chief Willie Maduabuchukwu Obiano is taking a bold step towards tourism development and we in the diaspora are matching up to partner with him”.

The General Manager of Luton Park Hotel in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, Mr. Chuks Agboje said the movement of tourists will surely affect the cash flow in the industry, adding that Calabar for example depends on is tourists visiting the state.

According to Agboje, the state has just commissioned the Calabar International Conference Centre targeted at hosting international conferences to drive and increase the states’ economic fortunes.

He said,”If we become in accessible due to high visa tariffs then Cross River State being the nations’ tourism destination will have to define another product through which the state will be identified.”

He advised the present administration to tackle security issues. He equally commended Buhari ‘s government for taking the right step towards the right direction because the insecurity in the country according to him is also affecting the industry.

“Even so many Nigerians in the Diaspora refused coming for last year’s carnival due to bombings and Boko Haram. If the present government should make Nigeria a safe haven again, we will experience massive inflow of tourists. The tariff on visa will not be an issue if the country is safe.

The Chief Executive Officer of Mashy Guest House And Sport Bar, Mr. Monsuru Adeyemi Adeboye, pointed out that there is need for the country to provide accommodation for the people.

He said Nigeria hospitality is still below standard but the tourism as a whole is a huge market in this country but it seems like the people in the tourism ministry have not found the right approach on how to boost tourism yet.

The efforts of Cross River State are encouraging tourism and that has created an avenue for people to come into Calabar and see for themselves. They create well organized carnivals, recreation events which have brought in a lot of tourists to the state.

Meanwhile, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said that the visa on arrival regime was initiated to encourage tourists into the country.

Speaking at the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI) breakfast meeting recently at Ikeja, Lagos, Mohammed said that his ministry was working together with the Ministry of Interior because the first thing a tourist think when he is coming is to think of visa and that is why they have initiated visa on entry regime

The minister, who said that Visa on arrival, which is done within 24 hours now, will go a long way to encouraging tourists into the country.

Advising members of the ASRTI, Mohammed pointed out that remaining an activist or a critic alone cannot help the industry, stressing that the ASRTI members should find a way to be part of the decision making process.

Mohammed said, “There are lots of challenges in the areas of regulatory framework and capacities; until you and I go there to change things, nothing will change. The greatest challenge that will face someone is institutional challenges.”

Mohammed, who said that the government has never taken excuses for non-performance because they inherited a bad governance, stated that all they did was to let the world know what the government inherited. The minister emphasized the importance of government obeying agreement arrangements, just as warned that disobedience to agreements reached is a bad signal not only to the international community but to the local community.

“Agreement must be obeyed. We must not continue to be government to look at ethnic considerations in making policies. When you sit and make an agreement, it is not anyone’s fault that the other party did not come to the table ill prepared”, he said

The minister said that tourism is not a stand-alone ministry and that is why they are collaborating with other government agencies, such as Ministries of Agriculture, Aviation, Interior, Transport, including Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) so as to survive..