Amachree urges Nigerians in Diaspora to attract more tourists to Nigeria

Nigerians in the Diaspora have been urged to attract more tourists to the country to boost foreign exchange earnings to the country.

President of the Centre for Promotion of Peace, Tourism, Arts and Culture (CEPTAC), Chief (Dr) Mike Amachree said this at a one day parley between tourism stakeholders and Nigerians in the Diaspora at the Brooklyn Tourists Center, Port Harcourt in River State.

He said the parley has become imperative in view of economic situation facing the country, stressing that there is need for deliberate investment in the tourism industry to encourage the provision of jobs to meaningfully engage the teaming youths in the industries that would be established by local and foreign entrepreneurs.

He also louded Governor Wike for his pragmatic approach in solving tourism challenges in the state through the establishing the Port Harcourt Leisure Park and the massive construction of roads in the state, calling on the government to do more, especially in rural areas and also to encourage the private sector. He mentioned that gone are the days when we depend on oil only.

He equally called on the Federal Government to relax the entry requirements to attract foreign tourists to Nigeria.

Consequently, Nigerians in Diaspora who came from London, New York, Toronto and Los Angeles promised to market Nigeria in their various countries of abode to enable them attract more tourists to Nigeria.

The foreign tourists on their modest satisfaction requested the management of CEPTAC to make event an annual platform.

The Chairman of the occasion, Professor Kimse Okoko, a former commissioner of Lands and Housing, old Rivers State and former president of Ijaw National Congress, commended Amachree for his efforts at boosting tourism business in Nigeria, which has earned  him the name “Father of Tourism.”

Okoko stated that tourism in the country is confronted with many challenges and encouraged governments to see the sub-sector as option “A” in choosing area of diversifying the country’s economy.

In addition, Okoko solicited support from multi-national companies and public-spirited individuals to heartily invest in tourism development since the government alone cannot make tourism thrive in the country.

In the same vein, the royal father of the day, King T.J.T Princewill, the Amanyanabo of Kalabari Kingdom represented by Chief Inimi Atiegoba, said tourism sub-sector has become the main stay of economic development for many countries of the world, adding that Nigeria cannot afford to shy away from it and ensued for collaborative efforts in curbing societal ills challenging the development of tourism in the country.

King Princewill lauded Chief Amachree for his enthusiasm in the tourism industry, encouraging the younger generation to follow in his footsteps.

There were separate paper presentations by Professor Henry Leopold-Bellgam and Dr Stanley Okoroafor all of the University of Port Harcourt and the Curator (Mr Omolayo Fadamijo), National Museum, Port Harcourt, calling on the State Government to open doors for the development of tourism and culture in the state not leaving out the 23 council areas of Rivers State by so doing, it will reduce restiveness and criminality amongst youths.