The Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), Dr. Ola Awakan, has said tourism will play a key role in achieving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic diversification agenda.
Awakan stated this on Tuesday at the State House, Abuja, during a meeting with President Tinubu, where he decorated the President as Brand Patron and Ambassador of Tourism.
He said the meeting was significant as the administration continued efforts to diversify the economy away from oil.
‘The meeting with Mr. President is significant at this time because Mr. President has been hammering on diversification for the development of the economy of this country. And at the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority, we believe so much that the tourism sector is that sector that can achieve the diversification agenda of Mr. President.
‘There are many nations that have used tourism to change the trajectory of their countries for better. And we have people in Africa that are trooping to those countries for them to enjoy the fortune that tourism has given to them,’ he told State House correspondents.
Awakan said the authority had urged Tinubu to replicate in Nigeria the tourism legacy he established in Lagos State.
‘The legacy you have created in Lagos, and we want the same legacy created for Nigeria. We are decorating you as a brand patron of tourism and ambassador of tourism, for us to be able to achieve the diversification agenda through tourism, for Nigeria’s sake.’
He said Nigeria had sufficient tourism resources to make the sector a major driver of economic growth.
‘So what we have in Nigeria is enough for us to use tourism to drive the economy of this country. And that’s the conversation I’ve had with His Excellency, and he’s committed to achieving what he achieved with tourism in Lagos State. He’s committed to achieving that in Nigeria, because when you mention tourism, the first state you mention is Lagos, and now he is the President of Nigeria; we can achieve same with this country.’
According to the NTDA director-general, the President has also reaffirmed his commitment to developing tourist destinations and improving Nigeria’s image internationally.
‘He’s committed to ensuring that we develop all our tourist destinations. He’s committed to ensuring that we have the visibility that we need in telling the right story about Nigeria, to erase the negative stories that are out there about this country. Because I say it everywhere, that Nigeria is a microcosm of stories. And how do we tell these stories if not through tourism?’
Awakan said Nigeria would demonstrate its commitment to developing the tourism, hospitality and travel sectors through its official participation in the World Travel Market (WTM) London next month.
‘It is worthy of note to state that Nigeria will be officially participating at the World Travel Market in London, which is the biggest travel market in the world, with over one hundred and eighty countries that will be there. So this will show the seriousness of Nigeria as far as tourism, hospitality and travel is concerned.
‘What we want to do is to ensure that we show to the international community that Nigeria is now intentional about using tourism to drive the economy of this country. We believe that in not too distant a future, the achievement that Mr. President was able to make in Lagos, we can do the same in Nigeria. And Nigeria will be respected as far as tourism is concerned, not just within the continent of Africa, but in the global society.’
He added that the authority planned to promote Nigeria’s tourist destinations as locations for film productions to attract international visitors, following the example of countries that use movies to showcase their attractions.
‘Some of the countries that we have visited, we see those countries from movies that feature tourist destinations. Who says we cannot do the same thing with Nigeria?’