LAGOS – A tourism expert, Mr JohnPaul Ezeani, on Thursday advised tour operators to organise local tours to boost domestic tourism in the country.
Ezeani told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that many tour operators preferred tours to foreign destinations, because of its perceived financial rewards.
He said tour operators needed to equip themselves with adequate knowledge of the nation’s historic sites, to enable them to adequately package tours to such destinations.
“I did a thorough research in 2011 and discovered that people in many historic towns and villages where these tourist attractions are located had yet to see companies that packaged tours to such destinations.
“Each of them likes to package tours outside the country, which is an indication that they do not even know where those attractions are located in Nigeria. This is very bad.
“So we need to identify where those attractions are; look at how accessible or otherwise that they are, since there is no way you can sell such places as vacation destinations for now,” Ezeani said.
He added that there was also the need for tour operators to acquaint themselves with host communities,rather than downplay their relevance.
“Host communities cannot be written off, because they more or less own these attractions and know where they are.
“Tell them the economic importance of people visiting their communities, they will listen to you; they are the ones to even entertain you when you get there.
“But when you get to a community and want to do something by force, they will agitate,’’ Ezeani, who manages the Enugu State Tourism Board’s blog, said.
He stressed the need for public enlightenment on the location and relevance of tourist attractions, saying: “almost 70 or 85 per cent of Nigerians don’t even know what the country is blessed with.
“And when one doesn’t know what his country or locality is known for, there is no way such a person will say he wants to visit those places,’’ Ezeani said.
He, therefore, advised both the Federal and State Governments to support and encourage tour operators, to make locally-packaged tours attractive to them.
NAN reports that Nigeria recorded over three million domestic tourism arrivals in 2013, with an expenditure of $4.71 million. (NAN)