Business
NNPS Woos Private Investors To Boost Ecotourism Revenue
The Nigeria National
Parks Service (NNPS) has said that it would partner private investors to boost the revenue generating capacity of the ecotourism sector of the national parks nationwide.
The Conservator-General of the service, Alhaji Haruna Abubakar, who said this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja said that the partnership would help to actualise the Federal Government’s proposal for partial commercialisation of some departments of the parks and attract foreign investors to the ecotourism sector.
“In any endeavour, revenue generation is very important. It is in the process of this that part of our objective is to promote ecological tourism and also to promote research and education.
“In the area of ecological tourism, we have been generating a reasonable amount of revenue, but it is our hope that in the nearest feature, especially with the new concept the government has that is of partially commercialising some aspects of the national park.
“That is to say that certain aspects will be privatised by giving concession in terms of the ecotourism sector of the national parks.“
The conservator-general added that the partnership would lead to further development of the tourist facilities in the various national parks in the country.
“I believe in the nearest feature, that will definitely help in the proper development of our tourist facilities and that would allow for a fair competition,“ he said.
He expressed concern over the low patronage of the ecotourism sector by both private and foreign investors, saying: “Because of lack of patronage from the international community, the money we generate is in local currency.“
Our correspondent reports that ecotourism is a form of tourism involving visiting undisturbed naturally green areas.
It involves travelling to areas, whose environment has natural conservation and the capacity to improve the well-being of people.
Ecotourism has contributed immensely to the sustenance of the economies of East African countries such as Kenya and Tanzania.
The National Parks of East and South Africa are so well-developed that they earn millions in vital foreign exchange.