The Managing Director,
Global Links Travel and Tours, Mrs Chinyere Umeasiegbu, last Sunday said that over 60 per cent of Nigeria’s tourists’ centres were not developed.
Umeasiegbu said in Lagos on telephone that the tourists’ centres in the country should be given facelift.
She said that Nigeria had thousands of tourism sites that had yet to be developed, adding that government should urgently concentrate toward developing them.
“The only thing government can do to exploit the huge tourism potential in the country is to adopt the Public, Private Partnership (PPP) initiative.
“Government cannot fully harness the nation’s tourism resources except it has the support of other private investors. ‘
Umeasiegbu identified beaches, wildlife parks, monuments, event centres, galleries, culture, festivals, airports, and museums as some of the major tourist attraction centres across the country..
“All these tourism potential can contribute 50 per cent of the nation’s revenue, if well harnessed and properly funded.
“Visitors and tourists do visit the country day by day to see if there are new things, new places and developments in the tourism industry.
“Reviving and upgrading the nation’s tourists’ centres would boost foreign exchange earnings, “ she said.
Umeasiegbu urged the Federal Government to assist private investors to develop  the nation’s enormous tourism potential.
“With the involvement and support of private investors, stakeholders and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), the nation’s tourism industry would grow and Nigeria would be a preferred tourism destination in the world.”