By Ebere Agozie
Abuja – Alhaji Yahaya Ndu, a Tourism Consultant on Friday said that Nigerians must work collectively to tackle the challenges being faced by the tourism sector.
Ndu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the challenges faced by the industry should not be left to practitioners in the industry alone.
“The conscious effort is to get to the bottom of the problem, identify issues and figure out solutions to attract tourists to Nigeria.
“Focus will be to expand coverage and develop new offerings, facilities and incentives and deliver a hassle-free experience to tourists.
“Nigerians must think of alleviating stress factors for travelers whether it is the airline, airport, immigration, transportation or accommodation services providers,’’ he said.
The consultant said that the challenges of lack of capital, poor government support, poor infrastructure, political instability and natural calamities was hindering the growth and development of the sector.
“Lack of capital is normally a big challenge because any individual that wants to invest in this industry must have capital in terms of money as well as other resources.
“The government does not give enough support to this industry, especially in terms of allocation of funds and also poor encouragement from the government to the people to invest in tourism.
“In addition to that, Nigeria has very poor roads that hinder the access of areas rich in wildlife and this has made the industry hard to develop.’’
He said that political instability in the country had been an issue of concern to tourists as it scared international tourists from visiting the country.
“Insecurity issues like tribal clashes, Boko Haram and herdsmen and farmers have also posed serious threat to the industry, and have caused fear among the tourists making Nigeria not a favourable destination.
“Lack of social services such as hospitals, sports and other recreational facilities have also hindered this sector from thriving.
“Most of the tourist sites are located in the remote areas of the country far from access to these facilities, therefore making it difficult for the tourists to get the services,’’ he said.
Ndu said that low levels of technology had also contributed to the challenges, as tourists from developed countries would find it too hard to cope.
“ This is because these tourist areas are not covered with things like mobile phone network, internet, radio and television networks.’’
He noted that destruction of wildlife was another issue of concern in the tourism industry.
“This is repeatedly reported from the national parks and game reserves where poachers kill the animals for their meat as well as for trade.
“Lack of education and skills are not helping matters, as many people do not know the importance of wildlife.’’
According to him, the challenges can be addressed if all stakeholders join hands and work together in order to find a lasting solution.
Edited by Ese E. Ekama