Nigeria still not leveraging its tourist attractions amid economic downturn

Nigeria has failed to leverage on its enormous tourist attractions to generate the needed revenue despite the economic downturn which is forcing various sectors of the economy to diversify.

While various African countries have continued to consciously invest and develop their historical sites, artefacts and other tourist attractions in a bid to lure investors, Nigeria has failed to do same.

Ikechi Uko, a travel expert in Nigeria told BusinessDay that there is no national master plan and no consensus on what Nigeria should be selling as tourism attractions.

“A country like Rwanda sells mainly gorillas. They have actually doubled the price of their gorilla to $1,500 from $750. They make over $400million from just one product. So now they are trying to diversify, they are doing tree houses, they hired lions from other countries to put in their national park. There is a concerted plan to grow tourism.

“Ethiopia had relied on its airline to drive its tourism but now, they are beginning to market tourism. Ethiopia airline is organising familiarization trip. Nigeria has never organized familiarization trips even for Nigeria media or the tour operators. The familiarization trips are organized by private organisations like my own organisation, the Cross River government and few others.

“We want to get results without doing the right things. We expect that these things will happen naturally but there has to be a plan. We have to identify the products we as Nigerians want to sell and how we can sell it,” Uko added.

He explained that the biggest problem Nigeria has is that government appoints people who believe that tourism is easy, so they spend four years figuring out that tourism is not easy and after they have finished learning and their term expires, they go and another person comes and start something else.

“For me, the first step is to begin to get the right people. We need to look at what Rwanda, Kenya, Ethiopia and other countries that are excelling in aviation do,” Uko said.

The Hospitality/Tourism Industry in Nigeria contributed about 4.8% to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product in 2016. This was disclosed by Africa’s number one hotel booking online portal, Jumia Travel in its 2017 report and outlook for Nigeria.

Experts say considering the huge opportunities in this sector, if well harnessed, the sector should contribute over 10percent to the economy.

Dutta identified infrastructure and the current forex regime in the country, as the challenges the Hospitality/Tourism Industry faced in 2016, which in various way impacted the sector.

He said despite the National Tourism Development Council (NTDC), the government needs to fashion out a clear policy roadmap that will reposition the tourism industry in Nigeria.

Some of the tourism attractions in Nigeria include Ibeno in Akwa Ibom State, Obudu Mountain Resort in Cross River, Ngwo in Enugu State, Arochukwu in Abia State, Owan in Edo State and Kolabi Creek in Port Harcourt, amongst other locations.

The roaring waves, spots for sunbathing, unpolluted foliage of the mangrove forest, cool breeze from the water and a lush surrounding give Ibeno in Akwa Ibom State, an unimaginable allure for tourists.

The temperate climate, breath-taking views, idyllic tranquillity and beautiful scenery has made Obudu Mountain Resort one of the famous tourists’ sites in Nigeria.

For Ngwo in Enugu State, the unique forest dynasty that is found in Ngwo Pine is a huge draw for visitors, romantically set by Mother Nature with sharp twists for adventure seekers, beautifully set pine trees and gently flowing stream for lovers.

The sacred altar, a six foot gully that takes people to the temple and the waterfall in Arochukwu Long Juju Slave route, beg tourists to explore the shrine of Ibn Ukpabi and the cult monument of Kamula.

In a sacred grove where prehistory meets the modern, between a village called Ukhuse-oke and Ukhuseosi lies Owan, the distinct footprints of a prehistoric giant that are embedded permanently on flat granite rocks.

Port Harcourt Tourist Beach has proven to be a destination where people run away from the bustling life of a city; one that is built on an artificial sand beach, is where you should be.

In Taraba state, lies the Gashaki-Gumpti National Park that offers a fascinating insight into life in medieval times in Nigeria is the. It is located within the Chappal Wadi, Mountain, Chappal Hendu and the Mountain of Wind. It is Nigeria’s largest and most diverse National Park.

IFEOMA OKEKE