Posted Fri, Aug 20, 2021 6:46 AM

NESG holds Forum on Development of Nigeria’s Tourism and Hospitality sectors

The Tourism and Hospitality Industries Thematic group of the Tourism, Hospitality, Entertainment, Creatives and Sports as a business (THECS) Policy Commission of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) held a focus Group Forum with the theme “Repositioning Nigeria’s Tourism and Hospitality sectors for Sustainable Growth and Profitability” on the 19th of August, 2021.

Co-Chair, THECS Policy Commission and board member of the NESG, Mr Udeme Ufot, in his welcome address, said that Nigeria is uniquely positioned as an all-year-round tourism destination with a strong domestic tourism sector; rich natural resources; and a variety of associated attractions including music, entertainment, sports, religion and a very rich cultural heritage.

Mr Ufot said that the NESG is committed to sectoral reforms to fix some of the challenges bedevilling the Nigerian Tourism and Hospitality Industry. Including the absence of comprehensive databases of operators nor clear, identifiable sector value chains to properly reposition the industries as viable business sectors of the economy, not fully adopted mainstream best practices in technological innovations and digital transformation initiatives and an absence of formal recognition of the linkages between sports, culture, entertainment, creative industries (arts/crafts inclusive), agriculture, cuisine, the environment, infrastructure, transport, security as enablers for the exponential growth of the tourism and hospitality.

Mr. Ufot revealed that it was important for stakeholders to acknowledge the critical role government needs to play to move the sectors forward while implementing policies that support the sector.

Dr. (Mrs.) Ifeoma A. Anyanwutaku, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture (FMIC), while delivering a presentation on “Tourism & Hospitality Sectors as Catalysts for Nigeria’s Economic Recovery” said that tourism has tremendous growth opportunities for the Nigerian economy and that the sectors continue to have potentials for growth. She said the sectors have economic and socio-cultural impacts on the environment and play a role in economic development, including having significant potentials to aid the utilization of natural resources by providing employment and promoting inflow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and foreign exchange earnings for the country.

Dr. Anyanwutaku said the tourism and hospitality sectors could only thrive when there is a political will from the government, and there was a need to implement certain actions, including the resuscitation of the Presidential Council on Tourism (PCT), the establishment of a tourism development fund, harping on a review of the governing laws and establishment of a tourist guide company for the country to fast track the development of the sectors. Director-general, Nigerian Institute for Hospitality (NIHOTOUR), Mr. Nura Kaginwa, said there was a need for policy and regulatory framework for the industry to help the growth and development of tourism and hospitality in Nigeria.

Mrs. Ngozi Ngoka, Thematic Lead Tourism & Hospitality Industries Thematic Group (THITG), Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) “Proposed Roadmap for Optimized Tourism and Hospitality Sectors in Nigeria,” said there are 3 types of tourism, Domestic, inbound and outbound tourism. The three forms can be combined to form internal, national and international tourism. She said that some of the economic challenges faced by hotels in Nigeria include insufficient manpower training, absence of tourism police, lack of effective collaboration between national and subnational governments, insufficient marketing of Nigeria as a tourist destination, but a growing diaspora market and positive image created by the entertainment and creatives sector offer a ray of hope for the transformation of the sectors.

Mr. Andrew Brown, Regional Director World Travel & Tourism Council (WTC), in his goodwill message, said that pre-covid 19, travel and tourism accounted for 330 million jobs worldwide. That figure is expected to grow to 440 million by 2030. However, Brown noted that about 4.5 trillion dollars were lost by the tourism and hospitality sectors as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide, and over 770,000 jobs were lost in the sector in Nigeria alone. He encouraged operators to adopt safe travel steps and implement protocols that will help travellers feel safe when they travel.

Furthermore, Mr. Brown revealed that women account for 54 percent of all jobs in travel and tourism, and stakeholders should continue to encourage all activities to foster an equitable environment that will allow women to thrive in the workplace.

In the first design session on cross-cutting industry governance issues, Mrs. Patricia Narai, Director, Domestic & Eco-Tourism Promotion & Control Department, Federal Ministry of Information & Culture (FMIC), said that the ministry is working on promoting domestic tourism to school students and in the area of eco-tourism which is interrelated with the ministry of environment, they are collaborating to help secure National parks and in the against illicit trafficking, poaching and illegal trading in certain extinction-prone animals such as pangolin and elephants.

While delivering the opening remarks, the comptroller-general of Nigerian Immigration services (NIS), Muhammed Babandede said that tourism is important and they have liberalized entry for Nigerians to help aid the sector. He said the NIS recognizes other forms of tourism. He said religious tourism should be encouraged, and the visa policy should be addressed to aid the development of the sector. He said there are three types of visas. When you apply for e-visas online and you can’t get visas at the point of entry.

Alhaji Aminu Agoha, Chairman, Tourism Consultants Forum, said there is a need to eradicate multiple taxes in the hospitality industry and strengthening the power sector to make it cheap and available.

In the second design session on deep-dive industry operations issues, Mr. Trevor Ward, Managing Director W Hospitality Group, said that the industry is all about people. It’s a paradox that despite job losses in the sector in America, the industry is still short-staffed because people have willfully withdrawn from the industry as a result of economics, as such there is a need to improve staff welfare to attract more people to the sector.

Chief Tomi Akingbogun, Proprietor, Rosebud Hotels, Abuja, said that security is paramount, and there has to be proper infrastructural development, including railways and good road networks, to aid tourism. He also mentioned that there was a need to improve in the ease of doing business ranking to encourage investors to aid the development of the sector.

On her part, the CEO of Tantalizers Plc, Ms. Bose Ayeni, said that the hospitality is experiencing problems of instability due to regulatory, operational, infrastructural and logistical costs. She said the sectors experience multiple taxations from federal to subnational governments. She said financial institutions should provide long-term loans with a favourable period of re-payment.

During the special comment session, Ms. Lola Akinmade of Geotraveler Media said her startup is helping create an experience where people can visit all parts of Nigeria virtually and helping to create platforms that will encourage people to visit such locations physically later on.

Mr. Francis Anatogu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Sector Matters/Secretary, National Action Committee on Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), said that liberalization of the tourism and hospitality sectors will allow for speedy economic growth for the country and the removal of barriers of trade across Africa through market access, will do a lot to boost trade and regional cohesion. Furthermore, Mr. Anatogu said an AfCFTA protocol related to air safety and, along with other provisions, will allow for cross-country trade and development across Africa. 

Mr. Guy Murray Bruce, CEO of Silverbird Organization, said that the pandemic resulted in a 70 percent loss in entertainment revenue for their company and that despite the interventions instituted by the government, the hospitality and tourism sector is struggling to stay afloat. He encouraged the government to liberalize tourism and hospitality policies and help the sectors generate much-needed employment opportunities.

The Imo State Commissioner for Tourism, Mazi Uche Ohia, said that government is interested in promoting tourism by expanding visitor traffic to the tourist sites in the state and ensuring that investors and the private sector get returns on investment.

Dr. Ikenna Nwosu, Facilitator, Tourism, Hospitality, Entertainment, Creative & Sports Industries (THECS) Policy Commission, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), while wrapping up the forum, said that it was essential to have enhanced engagement of stakeholders connecting government, regulatory agencies, private sector and social enterprise sector to address the challenges of the Tourism and Hospitality Industries as business sectors of the economy. He also stated that establishing a relationship framework required to accelerate the development of the Tourism and Hospitality industry ecosystem in Nigeria was critical to the growth of the sectors.