The tourism industry in Nigeria is facing significant challenges despite the country’s vast tourism potentials, according to Comrade Emmanuel Okon, President of the Youth Tourism Organisation. In an interview, Okon highlighted the need for effective policies and a comprehensive tourism master plan to guide the development of the sector.
“Nigeria is richly blessed with various tourism attractions, but we lack the enabling environment to harness these resources,” Okon said. “In terms of tourism development, what is actually lacking here is the policies, the enabling laws that are supposed to create an enabling environment for tourism to thrive.”
Okon stated this at a Tourism Lecture, organised by the China Cultural Center in Nigeria, in collaboration with the Youth Tourism Development Organization,
Okon noted that Nigeria had a tourism master plan in the past, but it was not implemented. “It was not put into use, and it was eventually dumped aside,” he said. However, with the creation of a separate Ministry of Tourism, there is renewed hope for the development of the sector. “The new minister has made some effort to look into that policy, review it, and put it into use,” he said.
The Youth Tourism Organisation is advocating for the government and private agencies to work together to develop and implement effective policies and a master plan to unlock Nigeria’s tourism potential. Okon emphasized that this is crucial for Nigeria to benefit from the Belt and Road Initiative and the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, particularly in the area of people-to-people initiative cooperation.
“We need to develop our tourism and cultural sector to promote cooperation between Nigeria and China,” he said. “China is a huge player in tourism development, and we can learn from their experiences. But we need to have the right policies and framework in place to benefit from this cooperation.”
Okon also highlighted the importance of people-to-people initiative cooperation in promoting tourism and cultural exchange between Nigeria and China. “We need to encourage more cultural exchange programs, educational exchanges, and tourism exchanges between our two countries,” he said.
The Youth Tourism Organisation is calling on the government to take urgent action to develop and implement effective policies and a master plan for tourism development. “We cannot continue to neglect our tourism sector,” Okon said. “We need to act now to unlock our tourism potential and promote cooperation with other countries, including China.”