Expert urges inter-ministerial committee to reposition tourism sector

Mr Shola llupeju, a Tourism Consultant on Tuesday in Abuja called on the Federal Government to set up an inter-ministerial committee to reposition the tourism sector.

llupeju made this call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He said that to reposition the tourism sector, government would have to plan and put in place an inter-ministerial committee to mainstream tourism into all economic and developmental agenda.

“That is where the National Planning Commission comes in, to mainstream the sector just as the former President Olusegun Obasanjo mainstreamed the control of HIV and AIDS during his regime.

“Nigeria has been generating revenue from the tourism sector but the revenue generated is highly insignificant compared to the potential the industry has.

“For this reason, the country has to rise up to expectation more so now that oil is going down at a rapid rate that even our neighbours have discovered oil in the continent.

“So many countries have discovered oil and oil is no more a resource we can use as a comparative advantage that the country had in the 70s and 80s. As it is, Nigeria needs to work assiduously and plan for the sector to generate revenue.

llupeju said that in planning the sector, good environment along with good governance should be considered, adding that “tourism and good governance are synonymous”.

He said that where there was no good governance tourism would hardly work.

The consultant said that for the country to generate revenue from the tourism sector, states must key into the tourism strategy of the Federal Government.

He said that tourism was not just about government as it was mostly driven by the private sector and local communities.

“You have to carry along communities in remote areas as the people around provide security for national parks and tourists sites,” he said.