FG Devises New National Tourism Strategy

The Federal Government, says that it has devised a new National Tourism Strategy to sustained tourism industry in the country.

President, Goodluck Jonathan stated this at the 53rd meeting of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)/Commission for Africa (CAF), in Tinapa Business, Conference and Leisure Resort, Calabar.

“We have come up with a new national tourism strategy, which is embedded in the Nigerian Tourism Development Master Plan,’’ he said.

The theme of the meeting is: “Responsible Tourism: Opportunities for Women and Youths’’.

Jonathan, who was represented by Mr Edem Duke, Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, said that the master plan was developed from sundry country experience to meet international standard and best practises.

The president said that the meeting would provide veritable platform for his administration to showcase Nigerian rich, unique and diverse cultural and eco-tourism endowment.

“We do recognise the prime place of culture and tourism in our comprehensive effort to grow the Nigerian economy.

“This has informed the involvement of deliberate policies and programmes towards maximally harnessing, developing and promoting the tourism sub-sector of our national economy,’’ he said.

Jonathan said his administration would focus on providing enabling environment for the operation of efficient and effective public private sector.

“Nigeria offer a package of unique incentive for investment in this sector, including tax exemption, tax relief, export incentive, free land, 100 per cent ownership of business by foreign investors.

Others include easy working permit for foreign workers, wavers of import duties on hospitality equipment among others,’’ he said.

The president said that Nigeria would remain committed to the ideas of UNWATO and a willing partner in the implementation of African Union NEPAD Tourism Action Plan.

Earlier, Mr Edem Duke who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs Anastasia Nwaobia, said that theme of the meeting was timely and relevant.

Duke said that the ministry had started the implementation of the Nigeria Tourism Development Master plan, which was the roadmap for the development and sustenance of the entire Nigeria tourism industry.

According to him, the ministry is working with relevant professionals and stakeholders in the industry to implement the policies and programmes contained in the master plan.

He said the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), reports that the tourism contributed 2.9 per cent of total employment and 3.3 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), in 2011.

“We hope to double this contribution in 2012,’’ he said.

He stressed the need of institutional synergy by stakeholders in the tourism sector particularly in the funding tourism projects and investments, especially Small Scale Tourism Enterprises.

Duke said that the meeting would provide an opportunity to evolve the best ways of mainstreaming the women and youths into the business of tourism.

In his speech, Gov. Liyel Imoke of Cross River, said that the conference was holding in Nigeria for the first time, and commended the ministry for choosing Cross River as host city for the meeting.

Imoke said that Cross River was the leading service driven economy in Nigeria.

He said that Cross River had been listed as one of the 25 bio-diversity hotspots in the world and host to more than 60 per cent of tropical rainforest in Nigeria.

Imoke said that tourism was a strong potential vehicle for significant economic growth and development of the state.

He said that government had invested significantly in the development of infrastructure that would aid the growth of the tourism industry in the state in particular and country at large.