Tourism Minister yearns for preservation of Nigerian cultural heritage

April 21, (THEWILL) – The Minister of Tourism, Mrs. Lola Ade-John, has urged Nigerians to preserve the country’s historical and cultural heritage for the benefit of future generations.

Speaking at the 10th edition of Wonders of Nigeria Expo, organized by Ikechi Uko, a tourism promoter, aims to deliberately highlight and promote Nigeria’s historical sites. Ade-John said Nigerians should be passionate about preserving the country’s tourism assets and develop a sense of pride in them.

The event included a photo exhibition of more than 1,000 tourist sites across the country’s 36 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“As we celebrate the 10th edition of this expo, let us not only marvel at the wonders before us, but also reflect on the importance of preserving and protecting them for future generations.

“It is our collective responsibility to ensure that these treasures remain intact for years to come, so that others can experience the same sense of awe and wonder that we do today.

“To achieve this we must bring our people along. Community involvement is critical to preserving our assets and history.

“We need to engage our local communities and train them in basic tourism skills, entrepreneurship, hospitality, cleanliness and love and respect for cultural differences.

“This approach embodies what I call the ‘tourism doctrine’. It will empower and encourage our people to contribute to the country’s revenue diversity plan as the President highlights in his Renewed Hope Agenda,” she said.

The minister urged Nigerians to promote responsible tourism by paying more attention to telling positive stories about Nigeria to attract tourists.

She said: “Nigeria is a beautiful country, people pay a lot to see gorillas, go out on the water and we have them, the only thing we don’t have is our sense of pride, that needs to change, we need to love this country .

“As a government, we will ensure that we set standards, revive the Presidential Tourism Council and encourage the doctrine of tourism.”

Earlier, Nneka Isaac-Moses, Managing Director of Goge Africa, urged the Federal Government to invest in training and capacity building for practitioners in the industry.

She said the government should also work towards providing accommodation facilities at certain tourist locations in the country for the comfort of tourists.

She appealed to government at all levels to support financing and create an enabling environment for tourism businesses to flourish.

Also speaking, Mrs. Ime Udom, National Chairman of the Nigeria Association of Tour Operators (NATOP), spoke on the contributions of Nigerian tour operators in grooming the industry.

According to Udom, over the years, these tour operators have been able to unearth new tourism sites and promote such sites and attract visitors to them.

However, she called on the federal government to work directly with tour operators and ensure they receive subsidies so they can do more.

She said that necessary infrastructure should also be provided at all tourism and heritage sites to make marketing of such sites easier.

Ibrahim Makanjuola, founder of Nigeria Tourism Lovers, said access to some of the country’s tourist sites was problematic due to the poor road network.

Makanjuola advised the federal government to work on building good roads.

“The security personnel should also be made aware of the tourism sector.

“The government must help us. We are often harassed by security guards while on tour. They see us as youths wandering around, and as fraudsters, these security personnel must learn the business of tourism.”

The highlight of the event was the presentation of the ‘Travellers Award’ to several individuals who contributed to the promotion of tourist attractions in the country.

Ekiti, Abia, Enugu, Edo and Cross River States won the Most Active Tourism State of the Year 2023, while Governor Eno Umo emerged as Governor of the Year 2023.

Alhaji Nura Kangiwa, Director General of the National Institute of Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), won the ‘2023 Tourism Chief Executive Officer’ award.

Ibom Air won the Best Airline in 2023, Mrs. Ime Udom won the Tourism Promoter of the Year Award, while Ekiti and Akwa Ibom States won the Most Desirable.

Favor Udom emerged as Tourism Photographer of the Year and Funke Ogunkoya-Futi bagged the Travel Communicator of the Year Award.

100 practitioners trained in tourism promotion were included in the ‘Tourism 100 Club’.

Janefrances Ebere Chibuzor is a tourism writer at THEWILL