Visa on arrival boosts tourism – Immigration boss

Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (CGIS), Mr Muhammad Babandede, on Thursday said the Visa on Arrival (VOA) policy had increased the influx of tourists as well as facilitated ease of doing business in Nigeria.

Babandede made said this during his presentation entitled “Encouraging Tourism in Nigeria: Role of Nigeria Immigration Service’’ at the fourth Nigeria Tourism Investors Forum and Exhibition (NTIFE) in Abuja.

NTIFE is an annual meeting organised by Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) to attract relevant stakeholders and chart a way forward for the tourism sector in the country.

The theme for the two-day forum and exhibition is “Infrastructure and Security: Catalysts for Sustainable Tourism Development”.

The CGIS said “the VOA Policy has boosted influx of tourists into the country; people do visit the country now, because the policy has made the acquisition of visa very simple and easy.

“Visitors and tourists now come into the country and get their visa within 48 hours and go to patronise hotels and get involved in other leisure activities’’.

Babandede, who was represented by an Assistant Controller General, Caroline Adepoju, said that the VOA had resolved the naughty issue of having to return to one’s country of residence before applying for visa.

He explained that businessmen, tourists and visitors could apply for the visa from any part of the world.

According to him, the VOA has facilitated ease of doing business in Nigeria, eliminated unnecessary human contact which can encourage corrupt practices and elimination of error in visa classification.