Minister harps on Tourism Promotion in Nigeria

By Ihesiulo Grace 5 March 2020 16 No comment

Minister, Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has called on Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), to adopt creative ways, saying this would help the tourism regulatory body in fulfilling its mandate of developing and promoting tourism in Nigeria.

The Minister paid a courtesy visit at NTDC headquarters, Abuja, and at the meeting Mohammed said, “The truth of the matter is that NTDC is not just the apex organization for tourism, it’s actually at the centre of all these tourism activities and when you look at your Act, it actually mandates you to develop, promote and market tourism in Nigeria.

”In other words, you are the chief marketer of Nigeria in terms of bringing in people from outside to see what we have been blessed with and also encouraging people locally to see what they have been blessed with,” he said.

Mohammed, who was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Deaconess Grace Isu Gekpe, said it is important for the NTDC to understand its pivotal role in coordinating all the activities in the tourism sector, and to realize its huge potential in view of its capacity to create employment and contribute immensely to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

He stressed the need for the NTDC to appreciate that tourism is beyond mere sightseeing as it encompasses the entire creative industry, which includes film, music, gastronomy, fashion, photography and monuments.

“There are many reasons why people should come to Nigeria. We are a country of colours. We are a country of about 250 ethnic groups and each with its own history, its own culture and we are blessed with miles and miles of beaches. We have an almost all-year round good weather.

“We have been blessed with a film industry which is number two in the entire world. We have been blessed with a music industry that has become global,” the Minister said.

Mohammed, who noted that the film industry is the least untapped with only 51 cinema houses and less than 200 screens for a population of about 200 million people, urged the NTDC to strive to attract investments that will raise the number of cinema houses to 1000 and at least 6000 screens in order to turn the film industry into a money spinner.

“This is where I think the NTDC will need to work even more closely with the ministry so that we can actually actualize the potentials of this industry and make it not just the fastest growing sector of the economy of Nigeria but also increase its contribution to the GDP from 1.24% to 3 or 3.5%,” he said.

NTDC boss Folorunsho Coker also has concurred with the Minister, therein identified needs for legal framework to harness tourism potential as a deliberate policy to develop the sector.

Coker solicited the support of the ministry, especially in utilizing its Information platforms to promote tourism at a global scale.

Coker later took the Minister on a brief facilities tour within the NTDC headquarters.