World Tourism Day: NATOP seeks partnership with FG to boos sector
World Tourism Day: NATOP seeks partnership with FG to boost sector
By Collins Yakubu-Hammer
Tourism
Abuja, Sept. 27, 2018 (NAN) As the world celebrate World Tourism Day (WTD), the National Association of Tour Operators (NATOP) seeks partnership with Federal Government to boost the sector and generate more revenues for the overall growth of the country.
Hajiya Bilkisu Abdulsalam, the National President of NATOP, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.
The 2018 theme for the WTD is “Tourism and Digital Transformation’’.
It is a day set aside by the United Nation World Tourism Organisation to create awareness on the need to appreciate tourism across the world.
She said it was regrettable that the nationwide strike action by the Nigerian Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress coincided with the WTD.
However, we must continue to celebrate the day, because it is a special day for tour operators and tourism actors across the world.
“We want to use the opportunity to call on government to collaborate with us to move the tourism sector forward and generate more revenue for the country.
“Also, government should create the enabling environment like good road network to tourist sites; provide adequate security in the country to encourage influx of foreign tourists.
“Our job as tour operators is to sell packages to foreigners to motivate them to come to Nigeria for holidays, entertainment and leisure.
“But when the security or safety and infrastructure are not adequate, it is hard to convince them to come to Nigeria; that is why we want the government to partner with us.
“Again, we are appealing to government to visit some sites and do the needful; we cannot do it alone. The country is losing millions of Naira on monthly basis to these challenge,’’ Abdulsalam said.
The NATOP president, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Bobooi Travel and Tour, said there were beautiful tourist sites in Nigeria, but that Nigerians prefer to go to other countries.
According to her, between 50 and 100 Nigerians are going to South Africa, Switzerland and Dubai for tourism monthly, regretting that people from those countries don’t visit Nigeria.
“The reason is not far fetch; inadequate security and infrastructure to encourage people to visit the tourist sites in Nigeria,’’ she said.
On classification of hotels in the country, the NATOP president said it was one of the major challenges facing the growth of the tourism sector.
“We cannot come out to say this is a three, four, five or seven star hotel; in other countries their hotels are classified alongside their prices.
“Before I send a client to any country, I let them know the classification and price rate of the different hotels. But in Nigeria we do not have such or a criteria to classify them.
“If government can collaborate with NATOP, we can set up a programme to check into these hotels, asses them and classify them accordingly; this will put them in the global map of tourism and hospitality.
“But the absent of classification is also affecting our hotels. Hotel owners have their own association and they pay tax. The different owners can confess to you the low level of patronage.
“Also, Minister of Tourism and Chief Executive Officers of tourism parastatals should avoid sending representatives to tourism events; they should come, listen to us and do the needful for the sector to move forward.’’
NAN reports that the nationwide strike by workers has affected this year’s WTD celebration in Abuja as the Ministry of Tourism, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation and other tourism and culture related agencies remain shut.
However, offices of NATOP, Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria and other private sector operators in the sector remain open for normal services. (NAN)
CMY/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola