Hospitality Industry: Hotelier Blames Poor Growth On Bad Roads

Poor road network and
lack of economic activities have been identified as the bane of the hospitality industry in Rivers State.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairman Citylife Hotel and Suites, Chief Michael Mekaka-Wobo, said this in a chat with newsmen  in Port Harcourt at the weekend.
The hotelier mentioned lack of functional tourism sites in the state as part of the reasons responsible for slow growth of the industry.
Mekaka-Wobo, recalled the days of Olympia Hotel and others, adding that the state needs to return to such era.
He said the hospitality including witnessed a kind of geometric growth of hotels with series of functional hotels then, whereas visitors to the state now find it difficult to locate good hotels as they are left with few options.
But he was optimistic that the Governor Nyesom Wike-led government may revive the sector going by its zeal in road rehabilitation.
The Port Harcourt-based business tycoon, said the hospitality industry also has the capacity to employ the young graduates who are roaming the streets in search of jobs.
He said the government can not do the business of employment alone, going by the intimidating numbers of the unemployed in the state.
He also expressed hope that the present administration would tackle the issue of poor power supply, which he identified as part of the challenges in the industry.