Goge Africa, a pan-African cultural platform, on Saturday called on the Federal Government to give tourism the attention it deserves.
The Co-founder and Managing Director of the platform, Nneka Isaac-Moses, spoke with newsmen on the occasion of World Tourism Day (WTD).
WTD is celebrated annually on Sept. 27, to foster awareness among the international community on the importance of tourism.
It is also celebrated to create awareness of the social, cultural, political, and economic value of tourism.
According to the United Nations, this year’s theme,’Tourism and Sustainable Transformation’, highlights tourism’s transformative potential as an agent of positive change.
Speaking on the growth of tourism in Nigeria, Isaac-Moses said operators in the sector had been left to shoulder the burden without support.
According to her, the private sector players are the life of the party when it concerns tourism in Nigeria.
She also commended them for sustaining the industry.
She decried the lack of government support and collaboration with the private sector in boosting the industry globally.
“For the past 25, 26 years that myself and my husband have dedicated our lives to projecting the best of Nigeria and Africa in terms of culture, tourism, arts and creative economy, we have not got financial support from our governments,” she said.
She emphasised that while countries such as Morocco, Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda pay promoters like Goge Africa to market their destinations, Nigeria had failed to tap into the wealth of experience gained abroad.
She urged governments to attend tourism stakeholders events, including the Akwaaba African Travel Market, that gathered practitioners across Africa so they could gain more insight into the industry.
“What would be the game-changer for me is if the regulators, the government, even if they don’t come in fully at such events, would at least have a listening ear to what the stakeholders are talking about, what our pain points are,” she said.
According to her, though tourism remains one of the largest employers of labour globally, political appointees often lack the knowledge and passion of the sector, weakening efforts to promote destinations.
Dismissing claims that insecurity is the main obstacle to inbound tourism, she insisted that Nigeria is safer than often portrayed.
“Nigeria is not unsafe. Nigeria is very safe.
“The problem is that we have left our own country unpackaged; we don’t do destination promotion,” she said.
Isaac-Moses further urged government agencies, including the National Orientation Agency, to help reposition the image of the country while working with professionals and tour operators to package festivals and attractions into viable tourism products.
She added that with adequate government support, the creative and tourism sectors could generate jobs, boost revenue and reposition Nigeria as a leading destination in Africa.
