Tourism must stand alone as a ministry, says ITPN president

 

President of the Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria (ITPN), Chief Abiodun Odusanwo has added his voice to the clamour for the creation of a stand-alone Ministry of Tourism and Culture for Nigeria by the current administration under the leadership of President Asiwaju Ahmed BolaTinubu as the fastest means of resuscitating the nation’s ailing economy.

Chief Odusanwo who made the call when he addressed newsmen in the Abuja head office of the Institute, stated that tourism remains one of the most viable non-oil alternative sector to petroleum capable of revamping and sustaining the ailing national economy because it is the sector that stimulates development in terms of income generation, employment opportunities, foreign exchange earnings, taxation as well as the attendant multiplier and spillover effects that the sector has on the rest of the economy

He stated further that globally, tourism remains one of the greatest contributing sectors to the economies of most countries, accounting for the substantial income generation and foreign exchange earnings, stressing that Nigeria can do a lot better if the necessary recognition and attention are accorded to the sector as a viable economic venture that is equally capable for massive job creation and poverty eradication.

Odusanwo said with the renewed hope agenda of the present administration, the tourism sector deserves a prime position and recognition in the pursuits of the non-oil sector economy that will bail the country out of the woods and place it on the path of sustainable economic growth and development.

The ITPN President further stated that a stand-alone ministry of tourism and culture was long overdue for Nigeria against the backdrop of the enormous tourism potentials that the country is endowed with and its vintage position of being considered a preferred tourism destination by the global tourist population, noting that the President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s administration will be doing the country good by focusing and exploring the economic potentials and viabilities existing in the tourism industry.

He further observed that while most African countries with less tourism endowments than Nigeria are doing better utilizing the benefits inherent in the sector to earn high percentage of their GDP from the sector, Nigeria is still lagging behind, leaving it abundant tourism potentials unexplored and untapped, noting that stakeholders and key players of the industry have hope and confident in the Renewed Hope agenda of the present administration to accord the tourism industry a prime place in its economic development agenda by creating a stand-alone tourism ministry.