Rivers State Tourism Development Agency (RSTDA), in partnership Dubai Tourism has unveiled the winners of the 2020 Graphic Art Competition put together by the agency to groom young talents in the oil rich state.
According to authorityngr.com, the winners, Dumbor Debeeh, Oscar Taribo Tamgba and Samuel Nwankwo won the award to travel to Dubai to showcase their talents for the purpose of economic achievement for themselves and the state.
According to the Director General of Rivers state Tourism Development Agency, Yibo Koko, the competition was organized by the agency in partnership with the Dubai Tourism for Commerce and Marketing.
Mr Koko who spoke at the unveiling and presentation of winners of the Tourism award, in Port Harcourt, stressed that the event is a way of encouraging Rivers people to domesticate tourism for economy growth of the state.
He said: “Our job is to make the international community see the impact of our traditional art. When I came onboard I noticed that Rivers state alone has done more than 252 events by the citizenry and few of them have attracted interest of international community.
“As DG, we brought in consultants to work to click in the tourism space and make it lucrative. Is still our tangible idea and that is why we went further to think that the community people should domesticate tourism, to making the people understand what tourism is in the first place.”
Koko informed that “2021 is the United Nation’s year of creative economy for sustainable development or the African Union year for art, culture and Tourism. Now, Rivers state is in the middle of all of these because we have an International Airport to ourselves, we have the local Airport, we have the seaports; that means that we can grow this tourism economy.”
Also speaking at the event, Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mrs Tonye Briggs Oniyide, congratulated Koko for his effort in developing RSTDA, revealed that the winners will have a full sponsorship for the trip, commending the Director of International Operations, Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Stella Fubara-Obinwa for her commitment in the development of culture and Tourism in the state.
She said “Our sons who won will have a full sponsorship trip to Dubai, they have given them return tickets and all expenses paid to Dubai. While they are there they are going to learn more and bring back the experiences to Rivers state.”
She congratulated the DG of Rivers state Tourism Development Agency, Yibo Koko, for his effort in developing the sector. “I am aware of his many efforts and I thank him for working closely with the Ministry.”