The Bantaba tourism exhibition that was held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has been described as a huge success and an opportunity to discuss investments with the outside world.
The chairman, Board of Trustees (BOT) of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA), Mr Steve Isokariari, made the assertion while speaking with our correspondent during the tourism expo of the show held at De Edge Hotel, GRA, Port Harcourt on Friday.
Isokariari, who is also the Managing Director of Dial Travel Bureau Ltd disclosed that the Bantaba, which is an off shoot of Akwaba Africa Travel Market discussed how to bring tourists from all over the world to Nigeria, and Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Capital, as there are lots of income through tourism programmes.
According to him, through the Bantaba tourism exhibition, some foreign countries are willing to come back and invest in Nigeria, but opined that they need infrastructure for the private sector to develop.
“We are trying to build tourism in Nigeria and we have to build infrastructure like what the Rvers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike is doing along Aba road and many more”, he stressed, adding that the way tourists and guests from the world that attended the exhibition was amazing as he had already had a business discussion with the Minister of Finance, Soverign State of Accompong, Jamaica, Mr. Timothy Mcpherson (Jr) as well as the Chief Executive of Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, Karikoga Kaseke among others.
The BOT chairman also hinted that for eight governors in Nigeria to send their representatives to the show including that of South Africa is a clear manifestation that the exhibition was a success and that all what they are doing is to ensure Port Harcourt is sellable and Nigeria is sellable to the foreigners.
He opined that these people from outside the country spent their foreign currencies in Nigeria, thereby a boost to the economy, adding that, “if we want to be exposed more, let us go out there and put what we saw in practice and restructure our tourism sector for better.
Isokariari further stated that for the first time the show was being organized in Port Harcourt outside Lagos that had been hosting them, though was for the then Eastern region, but for the love and interest of these people in tourism, they are all here, and called on all to contribute their quota and encoruage investors in tourism like Chief Mike Amachree.
However, 12 organizations were honoured during the exhibition in Port Harcourt.

Collins Barasimeye