A hospitality and tourism
consultant, Emeka Attamah, has made a case for the establishment of ‘Local Tourist Security’ in the tourism  and hospitality business in Nigeria.
He recommended the recruitment of indigenous youths to keep  surveillance, provide  protection and  report suspicious movements in and around tourist sites.
Attamah, who disclosed this to journalists in Port Harcourt recently pointed out that safety and security  are vital in providing quality services in the hospitality and tourism business.
According to him, the establishment of such became  necessary because of the security challenges in the country, which has put fears in the hearts of people, stressing that local security  measures should be encouraged and supported by the Nigerian Police Force.
“The success or failure of a tourism destination or hospitality industry depends on how safe and secure  the environment is for the guests and tourists.
“Providing the highest level of safety  standard and security ensures good marketing for tourist destinations by preventing an accident  before it becomes a major issue causing loss of lives and property,” said Attamah.
He said that war and terrorist activities were increasingly having negative impact on the industry world wide.
“There must be locals involved in the policing of our parks, hotels  and tourist centres. These locals  know the  terrain very well, they know the criminals amongst them and they are in position to fish them out,” he said.

Corlins Walter