By Taiye Olayemi
A professional Tour Guide, Anago Osho on Tuesday pleaded with the Minister of Tourism, Ms Lola Ade-John to create a national tourism masterplan to stimulate growth in the tourism sector in 2024.
Osho, the Chief Executive Officer of Anago Osho Adventures, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, said that a clue could be taken from Lagos state which had its tourism masterplan.
According to him, the masterplan will provide a more holistic approach to the implementation of tourism activities across the federation such that there will be uniformity and orderliness in the sector.
He said that the masterplan would also project ways of harnessing the untapped tourism potential peculiar with each state.
“In the year 2024, I will advise the Minister of Tourism to work on developing a national tourism masterplan with guidance from the Lagos State tourism masterplan.
“This will definitely see to the growth of tourism at the national level in 2024,” he said.
He also urged the three tiers of government to intensify efforts in creating the needed enabling environment and policies capable of aiding growth of tourism businesses in Nigeria.
“This is needed because no matter how great the innovation of a tourism operator is; no matter how creative the ideas being generated from the private practitioners, bad government decisions and policies can easily jeopardise such,” he said.
Osho said that a committe should be selected from the private tourism practitioners who would work with the ministry to advance the course of tourism.
“The committee members should be active tourism practitioners that know where the shoe pinches.
“Members should be selected from registered tour operators, travel agents, hoteliers, resort owners, park owners, tour guides and all,” he advised.
Also, Osho advised the private practitioners in the sector to be more organised in the new year to be able to fish out quarks.
He said that the practitioners needed to create an avenue to discuss industry problems and proffer solutions to such problems.
Osho advised on upscaling partnership between the private tourism operators and government as such partnership would produce constructive solution to salient problems.
“It is the private sector that builds the tourism industry worldwide so the Nigerian tourism practitioners should position themselves well to be taken seriously by the government.
“The industry can only be supported when the private operators have a united front devoid of selfishness, arrogance and nepotism.
“Also, it is disheartening to know that some tourism associations are formed for the leadership to remain relevant in the industry.
“They use the associations for personal aggrandizement and there is little or no benefits for the members. This should be checked in 2024.
“The purpose of becoming a member of a tourism association or group is to explore and protect members commercial interests,” he said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
