LAGOS – Stakeholders in the nation’s tourism and hospitality sector on Thursday urged multinationals to invest in domestic tourism.
The stakeholders — a tourism teacher and a consultant — made the call in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
Mr Wale Odeyemi, a Senior Lecturer at the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), Lagos Campus, said the intervention of the multinationals would help to develop the industry.
He said such companies should promote in-bound tourism more than out-bound activities.
According to Odeyemi, the companies should organise tours to local tourism sites for winners of their various promos instead of packaging foreign tours.
“In-bound tourism is more beneficial to the country because it will not only bring the tourism sites to limelight, but also boost the nation’s economy.
“Promotions done by multinationals through packaging of tours for winners of their promos to tourists’ centres in other countries are not beneficial to the development of our domestic tourism.
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“These companies should also make provisions for pleasure visits by winners of their promos to some local tourism sites like the Obudu Cattle Ranch, the Ogbunike Cave, among others.
“Such visits will not only promote the tourism sites, but also revive activities around some neglected sites,’’ Odeyemi said.
Mr Kehinde Oluwafunso, a culture and tourism consultant also urged multinationals to assist in developing tourist’s sites across the country.
Oluwafunso, a member of Pan-African Historical Theatre Festival Foundation in Nigeria, said the participation of the companies would increase the influx of tourists into the country.
“Big companies, including telecommunication companies, oil firms pay little attention to tourism development.
“It is important that big companies in the country invest in the industry by developing the various sites as part of efforts to give back to the society.
“It is part of their social responsibility to invest in such a sector because the tourism sector is capable of generating employment for youths,’’ he said. (NAN)
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