The impact of falling oil prices has led
experts point in the direction of the tourism
sector as an alternative source of revenue
generation. Some experts who spoke to
LEADERSHIP said repositioning tourism as a
viable alternative to oil would require the
enactment of requisite legislation and
appointment of professionals to key
positions.
Some of the experts that bared their minds
on the state of the tourism sector include
the minister of Tourism, Culture and
National Orientation, High Chief Edem Duke;
director-general, National Commission for
Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Mallam
Abdallah Yusuf Usman; president,
International Council of African Museums
(AFRICOM), Mr Nath Mayo Adediran;
president, Hospitality & Tourism
Management Association of Nigeria
(HATMAN), Mallam Aliyu Badaki Ajayi;
organiser, Abuja Bantaba and Akwaaba
African Travel Market, Mr Ikechi Uko and
National President of Institute for Tourism
Professionals (ITP), Chief Abiodun
Odunsanwo.
They submitted that there was the need to
revisit the Tourism Master Plan which was
inaugurated six years ago, noting that 54
years after Nigeria attained independence in
1960, the classification of hotels and tourist
sites had remained undone.
Speaking with LEADERSHIP, the minister of
Tourism, Culture and National Orientation,
High Chief Edem Duke, argued that the
classification of hotels and tourist sites was
the mutual responsibility of Nigerians since
the assets were located within the states.
“Classification of hotels and tourist sites
requires a collective responsibility of each
and every one of us. Very many of these
assets are located within the State and it’s
important for us to collaborate with the State
in certifying these Resorts as well as in
identifying the quality standard,” said Duke.
He was optimistic that professionals at the
Hospitality and Tourism Stakeholders’
Forum, organised by the National Institute
for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR),
would reach a consensus on the
classification which is likely to commence in
2015 as a major part of their mandate.
Disclosing the intent of the federal
government on listing national monuments,
Duke added, “The federal government has
identified 100 monuments around the
country and we are already trying to engage
with the private sector to see how we can
invest in their restoration because if we
don’t have these monuments, definitely, a
lot of our history will go away in years to
come.”
The minister gave the assurance that
transformation was underway in the sector
in terms of human capital development,
infrastructural development and the
restoration of national heritage, and insisted
that they would be form a major initiative in
the transformation agenda.
For his part, the director-general, National
Commission for Museums and Monuments
(NCMM), Mallam Abdallah Yusuf Usman,
noted that the federal government, through
NCMM, had identified more tourist sites,
historical sites and monuments for
protection.
He stressed that a number of museums had
been opened while exhibitions were carried
out abroad, which helped in laundering the
image of the country.
“The way forward for the industry in 2015 is
to sustain the game by coming up with
imaginative programmes that will capture
the attention of policy makers, political
leaders and the general public, intensify
action and improve on capacity building as
well as strengthening the institutions, the
administrative and legal frameworks and
getting quality staff who can push the initiatives forward,” said Usman.
He enumerated poor perception of the
importance of museums and monuments by
the public and low budgetary allocation as
major setbacks to the sector.
On the repatriation of Nigerian artefacts
taken away by colonial masters, he added,
“As I keep saying, the issue of repatriation
is both legal and political. We are exploring
these two avenues and we are engaging the
countries that kept the artefacts in their
museums and through the process, we have
succeeded in repatriating quite a large
number this year. We have in our custody
over 100 of such artefacts that have come in
from Europe and United States within the
last three to four years.”
He said that the NCMM had contributed in
growing the economy by providing,
developing and managing tourist
destinations such as museums, heritage
sites and monuments, adding that the
reason for developing the sites was to
attract more investments and help in
growing the economy.
Thursday, 5 March 2015
Boko Haram insurgency: Counting the losses in Nigeria’s Tourism sector
The damage done to Nigeria’s image and her
economy as a result of the lingering
insecurity in the country cannot be
underestimated. It is against this background
that analysts believe that the current war on
insurgency is desirable for the country and its
sustainable development. DAVID AUDU
reports.
Imagine a Nigeria where the bombs will
cease to explode on innocent Nigerians;
the guns stop raining bullets on young and
old; where residents in the troubled parts
of the will sleep in the night with their two
eyes closed, and when commerce and
industry will thrive.
Yes! Imagine the sigh that will greet the
landscape in post-Boko Haram Nigeria
when tourists will, once again, see Nigeria
as their preferred destination of relaxation,
and travel bans and warning alerts issued
by western nations on Nigeria will stop.
Imagine when schools will reopen in those
areas and students will resume full
academic activities; when market women
will go to the market without fear of bombs
exploding in their midst.
And the numbers of imagines are endless
when the war against Boko Haram is
finally won. While it is not impossible, it
means the current onslaught on the
insurgents must continue with ferocity.
It is clear that safe and secure
environment is a pre-requisite for living
and for businesses to thrive, especially, the
business of tourism which derives its
strength from foreign perception of a
peaceful country.
Apart from insecurity, the second most
important systems for business is political
stability. For Nigeria, as many
commentators have already observed, a
free, fair and credible election, as we are
about to witness in days to come, will help
propel rapid confidence in Nigerian
economy, and with the threat of Boko
Haram crushed, tourists will again begin to
reassess traveling to Nigeria.
A random sampling of opinion of
foreigners’ perception of Nigeria suggests
that of a country at war.
A targeted facebook and twitter survey of
foreigners show that insecurity is a major
draw backs for Nigeria quest for foreign
direct investments, FDIs, while at the same
time, the current efforts to dislodge the
sect from Nigeria’s territory was equally
hailed.
Their views were informed by news
beamed to the outside world, and the
negative effect on Brand Nigeria is
incalculable. The immediate impact of
such negative perception is discouraging
foreign investments, dwindling tourism and
hospitality businesses. Losses from
tourism as a result of insecurity run into
several billions of Naira.
According to recent reports from tourism
experts and a report on the rate of
business confidence in states across the
country, the northern region has lost over
N10 billion in five years due to the
continued insurgency, Experts observe that
within five years, the region witnessed the
lowest tourists’ arrival, inconclusive
business visits, no opening of an
international branded hotel, closure of
amusements parks and bars, loss of
revenue by government, and gross stifling
of social life.
“If you add the aggregate of profit hotels
would have made at a much better
occupancy rate within the four years, the
new ones that would have opened, the
revenue from the parks, new bars and
restaurants that would have opened, the
revenue accruing to government as tax,
and other tourism-related businesses that
would have been flourishing since the four
years, the loss is monumental,” said a
hospitality expert.
The loss of revenue over this period,
according to Business Confidence Report,
will continue as no northern city made it to
the top 15 alternative investment
destinations in 2013 and as the region
continues to enjoy the lion’s share of
insecurity.
A report quoting an executive of the
National Employers’ Consultative
Assembly (NECA), Mr. Timothy Olawale,
said that over 70 per cent of businesses
have partially closed operations in
northern Nigeria as a result of the growing
insurgency. Some others have relocated to
neighbouring countries, including Ghana.
This, he said, is a great disservice to the
government’s local and foreign direct
investment drive. The ripple effect extends
to loss of jobs and reduced staff morale
and productivity. Why the tourism sector is
hard hit is because it is difficult to
convince a foreigner to make a tourist trip
to Nigeria due to frequent disturbing
reports in the international media.
Reviewing the potential for tourism in a
paper delivered late last year by the
managing director of Insight
Communications, Mr. Jimi Awosika, noted
that the World Travel &Tourism Council,
WTTC, estimates that 3.8 million jobs
(plus 2.4 million indirect jobs) could be
created by tourism industry in Sub-
Saharan Africa over the next 10 years But
all these may be lost if the current war
against insecurity is not won decisively.
Winning the war is therefore an important
aspect in the reformation of the economy.
If Nigeria is to benefit from this there is,
then, there is the need to reduce threat of
insecurity. Post-election and post Boko
Haram envisages that Nigeria becomes an
investment drive to be pursued vigorously.
Brand Nigeria will be greatly impacted.
It is a known fact that no business can
survive in an insecure and tensed
environment, tourism industry is no
exception.
According to WTTC, the developed nations
are now based on an increased ratio of
global tourism, several developing nations
are starting to reap benefits of the massive
opportunities presented by tourism.
In this direction, therefore, experts say
Nigeria is wealthy enough to be a great
tourism spot as it boasts of abundant
natural and human resources and wishes
to become one of the established
economies world as well as a leading
country in Africa by 2020 In order to
materialize the dream, they say Nigeria
needs to determine the effective
exploitation of its assets to attract the
native and global investors.
This they say require peace so that efforts
will be channeled towards development.
Nigeria’s entry into the international
meetings with the soon to be
commissioned Calabar International
Convention Center, ICC experts say, is
significant, not only because of the
country’s large population, but also for its
projected continuous economic growth.
With a GDP of US$510 billion and a
population of over 170 million people, 40
million of whom are middle income
earners, Nigeria is surely a viable place to do business.”
But to secure Nigeria’s economic future
and reposition the country for the
attainment of its economic goals and
competition in the global market, analysts
believe, all must support the current effort
of President Goodluck Jonathan in the
fight against Boko Haram, irrespective of
political leaning and affiliations, stressing
that Nigeria belong to all of us and it is
only a free and secured nation that will
grow economically.
economy as a result of the lingering
insecurity in the country cannot be
underestimated. It is against this background
that analysts believe that the current war on
insurgency is desirable for the country and its
sustainable development. DAVID AUDU
reports.
Imagine a Nigeria where the bombs will
cease to explode on innocent Nigerians;
the guns stop raining bullets on young and
old; where residents in the troubled parts
of the will sleep in the night with their two
eyes closed, and when commerce and
industry will thrive.
Yes! Imagine the sigh that will greet the
landscape in post-Boko Haram Nigeria
when tourists will, once again, see Nigeria
as their preferred destination of relaxation,
and travel bans and warning alerts issued
by western nations on Nigeria will stop.
Imagine when schools will reopen in those
areas and students will resume full
academic activities; when market women
will go to the market without fear of bombs
exploding in their midst.
And the numbers of imagines are endless
when the war against Boko Haram is
finally won. While it is not impossible, it
means the current onslaught on the
insurgents must continue with ferocity.
It is clear that safe and secure
environment is a pre-requisite for living
and for businesses to thrive, especially, the
business of tourism which derives its
strength from foreign perception of a
peaceful country.
Apart from insecurity, the second most
important systems for business is political
stability. For Nigeria, as many
commentators have already observed, a
free, fair and credible election, as we are
about to witness in days to come, will help
propel rapid confidence in Nigerian
economy, and with the threat of Boko
Haram crushed, tourists will again begin to
reassess traveling to Nigeria.
A random sampling of opinion of
foreigners’ perception of Nigeria suggests
that of a country at war.
A targeted facebook and twitter survey of
foreigners show that insecurity is a major
draw backs for Nigeria quest for foreign
direct investments, FDIs, while at the same
time, the current efforts to dislodge the
sect from Nigeria’s territory was equally
hailed.
Their views were informed by news
beamed to the outside world, and the
negative effect on Brand Nigeria is
incalculable. The immediate impact of
such negative perception is discouraging
foreign investments, dwindling tourism and
hospitality businesses. Losses from
tourism as a result of insecurity run into
several billions of Naira.
According to recent reports from tourism
experts and a report on the rate of
business confidence in states across the
country, the northern region has lost over
N10 billion in five years due to the
continued insurgency, Experts observe that
within five years, the region witnessed the
lowest tourists’ arrival, inconclusive
business visits, no opening of an
international branded hotel, closure of
amusements parks and bars, loss of
revenue by government, and gross stifling
of social life.
“If you add the aggregate of profit hotels
would have made at a much better
occupancy rate within the four years, the
new ones that would have opened, the
revenue from the parks, new bars and
restaurants that would have opened, the
revenue accruing to government as tax,
and other tourism-related businesses that
would have been flourishing since the four
years, the loss is monumental,” said a
hospitality expert.
The loss of revenue over this period,
according to Business Confidence Report,
will continue as no northern city made it to
the top 15 alternative investment
destinations in 2013 and as the region
continues to enjoy the lion’s share of
insecurity.
A report quoting an executive of the
National Employers’ Consultative
Assembly (NECA), Mr. Timothy Olawale,
said that over 70 per cent of businesses
have partially closed operations in
northern Nigeria as a result of the growing
insurgency. Some others have relocated to
neighbouring countries, including Ghana.
This, he said, is a great disservice to the
government’s local and foreign direct
investment drive. The ripple effect extends
to loss of jobs and reduced staff morale
and productivity. Why the tourism sector is
hard hit is because it is difficult to
convince a foreigner to make a tourist trip
to Nigeria due to frequent disturbing
reports in the international media.
Reviewing the potential for tourism in a
paper delivered late last year by the
managing director of Insight
Communications, Mr. Jimi Awosika, noted
that the World Travel &Tourism Council,
WTTC, estimates that 3.8 million jobs
(plus 2.4 million indirect jobs) could be
created by tourism industry in Sub-
Saharan Africa over the next 10 years But
all these may be lost if the current war
against insecurity is not won decisively.
Winning the war is therefore an important
aspect in the reformation of the economy.
If Nigeria is to benefit from this there is,
then, there is the need to reduce threat of
insecurity. Post-election and post Boko
Haram envisages that Nigeria becomes an
investment drive to be pursued vigorously.
Brand Nigeria will be greatly impacted.
It is a known fact that no business can
survive in an insecure and tensed
environment, tourism industry is no
exception.
According to WTTC, the developed nations
are now based on an increased ratio of
global tourism, several developing nations
are starting to reap benefits of the massive
opportunities presented by tourism.
In this direction, therefore, experts say
Nigeria is wealthy enough to be a great
tourism spot as it boasts of abundant
natural and human resources and wishes
to become one of the established
economies world as well as a leading
country in Africa by 2020 In order to
materialize the dream, they say Nigeria
needs to determine the effective
exploitation of its assets to attract the
native and global investors.
This they say require peace so that efforts
will be channeled towards development.
Nigeria’s entry into the international
meetings with the soon to be
commissioned Calabar International
Convention Center, ICC experts say, is
significant, not only because of the
country’s large population, but also for its
projected continuous economic growth.
With a GDP of US$510 billion and a
population of over 170 million people, 40
million of whom are middle income
earners, Nigeria is surely a viable place to do business.”
But to secure Nigeria’s economic future
and reposition the country for the
attainment of its economic goals and
competition in the global market, analysts
believe, all must support the current effort
of President Goodluck Jonathan in the
fight against Boko Haram, irrespective of
political leaning and affiliations, stressing
that Nigeria belong to all of us and it is
only a free and secured nation that will
grow economically.
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