Do government has any role to play in tourism development especially in Nigeria?
This became a hot debated topic at the just concluded Port-Harcourt Bantaba in River State where the keynote speaker asked that the federal government be left out in tourism development in the country for the main time so that the private will lead.
Speaking on the topic how to package in-bound and out-bound tours, Jemi Alade, a renowned tour operator of many years experience maintained that every thing that has to do with government role and participation in tourism growth and development in the country may not succeed due government non- challant attitude and lip service paid to tourism.
He said the private sector can take the initiative to promote and develop tourism, that when the government see the success recorded, that will be when the government can come in to assist.
Mr. Alade cited Nollywood as good example because it was totally private sector driven.
He said Nollywood which is a Nigerian success story today succeeded because they did not wait on government to start.
“You can see the success Nollywood has attained today, this was made possible because of private sector efforts, if they have waited for government to start, they would not have reached the level they are today. You can hear the government talking about incentives to support them because it has now seen what the private sector has achieved with Nollywood. That is the same thing am advocating for Nigerian tourism,” he said.
Mr Alade observed that there are huge business opportunities in packaging tours in the country.
But his position were challenged by other tourism stakeholders who believed government has a lot of role to play in tourism growth and development.
The president of Nigerian Tour Operators, NATOP and Chairman Remlords Car Hire Services, Mr Nkereuwem Onung maintained that the government has a lot of role to play in tourism growth and development in the country.
He observed that it is only the government that can create the super infrastructure needed for tourism to thrive as individuals can not do all that.
Onung emphasised the need for synergy among the three tiers of government and the need for provision of infrastructure that aid the growth of the sector.
Some of these sites are inaccessible, no private player can build road to link such sites on his own, but the government can do that and other infrastructure support.
In his contribution also, the regional manager of South Africa Tourism in West Africa, Hloni Pitso explained that the government has a key role to play in tourism growth and development.
He cited the role of South African Tourism which is a government agency in promoting and marketing south Africa as a tourism destination through the opening of regional offices like in Lagos, sponsorship of trade workshop and trade show and hosting of the country’s trade partners to see what is in offer in South Africa so as to market the country well.
Speaking on the debate also, director- Africa International Operations, Oversea Offices, Dubai Tourism Stella Fubara Obinwa explained that the role of government in the promotion, growth and development of tourism in any country is paramount.
She cited Dubai Tourism as a good example of the role government can play in tourism promotion and growth.
Also, the general manager of Eko Hotel and Suites, Danny Kioporoglou pointed out that government has a lot to do in tourism development and growth in the country
Kioporoglou frowned at the poor state of the Port-Harcourt airport which he said is a disincentive to tourism growth in the state, adding that the private investor in the tourism industry cannot build airports.
The stakeholders unanimously agreed that no private sector can play the role of the government in tourism development as the role of government is very important both in policies and providing the needed infrastructure for the private sector to thrive
The two day event was attended by eight states in the country.
Source: nigerianfranknews.com
