Runsewe leads new culture, tourism rebranding revolution in Nigeria

In a swift response to the global tourism trend, as an economy booster and game changer in developing a sustainable tourism structure and attractive content, the Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Chief Segun Runsewe has taken a leap to rebrand and revolutionise the culture and tourism narrative in Nigeria.

Runsewe, who was addressing key tourism stakeholders in the private sector in Nigeria on an understudy-tour of Dubai, UAE with some of the NCAC directors said “it is high time we not only revolutionarised promotion and development of culture and tourism in Nigeria but also opening new vista of opportunities through practical and collective actions.

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He said “this is not the time for seminars and story telling but a time of collective action through sincerity of purpose to repackage our content through right narrative and promotion to make a sustainable change to our tourism and culture industry.

The NCAC boss who in a 30 minutes video took the stakeholders on the talk the walk of the experience garnered during their tour of different attractions in Dubai viz-aviz what made the destination, an all season and global attraction, said the Dubai do not only understand the importance of tourism, but also have leadership that are serious and have right attitude towards tourism development and promotion.

“During our few days tour we visited the Dolphin Show, Global Village, Miracle Garden, the Dubai Mall, Burj Al Arab, Burj Khalifa, Dubai dance fountain among other manmade attractions that have changed the tourism landscape of Dubai to a global tourism destination of all seasons.”

Runsewe who assured all and sundry; stakeholders and media inclusive of his determination to change the face of tourism in Nigeria through the recent tour of Dubai said he cannot do it alone but needs the private sector who are the drivers of the culture and tourism industry to join force in making the dream of building a world class destination in Nigeria a reality.

According to him, the simple logic behind the farm trip to Dubai is “travel, see the sights, see what other people are doing with their culture and tourism then come back and see how to do something with ours, market ours to the world, attract funds, grow the economy using culture and tourism to create jobs and attract tourist to Nigeria.”

The NCAC boss said that the trip was also a capacity building investment to expand staff to global frontier to help them management cultural potential in Nigeria.

The DG NCAA disclosed that next phase of the project is to take 36 states commissioners of culture and tourism and the top players and stakeholders in the culture tourism industry to Dubai to understudy how Dubai was able to transform its culture and tourism potential into a gold mine.

He said this will expose them on how Dubai is repositioning culture and tourism in their country so that they can learn and replicate that in their various states and at the end, the country will reap the benefit of their visit.

To achieve the vision of re-branding Nigeria using culture, tourism and art, Runsewe drew core stakeholders to a forum to brainstorm and pledge their commitment towards actualising this initiative and at the end of the event a consensus was reached and a declaration signed as part of public and private sector partnership to actualise the new vision for Nigeria culture and tourism.

This industry lacks leadership. Everywhere you go in the world this sector of tourism is doing very well. What is wrong with us? Today we must find a solution to the problem. And that is why whenever we want to start a program like this somebody must start the vision. Every one of us in this room has a role to play.”

The Director-General of NCAC thanked everyone for their presence and opinions and beautiful contributions on how the industry can measure up, in not only taking after Dubai tourism but also use our rich potentialities to build a strong tourism sector for Nigeria’s economic growth.

There is no country that doesn’t have security challenges or their own slums, but the only strategy of selling any country in the world is through the SWOT analysis where we concentrate on our strength, weakness, opportunity and threats, and this on a larger ground will enable us to focus on building some of these concept of tourist facilities in three or four states. Again, the problem now is that some governors don’t understand the idea.

Some of the stakeholders and participants who are core drivers bear their mind on the rare vision of the NCAC boss that is out to revolutionarised tourism and culture in Nigeria.

Among them is the President of FTAN, Alhaji Salah Rabo who said, “Tourism cannot prosper or flourish where there is insecurity.  While we look for quick security interventions, we also need to focus on driving our country forward and make tourism one of the things that can turn our country around.”

The tourism industry needs a ministry of culture and tourism and also a minister needs to be appointed to run the affairs.

The National President, National Association Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) Mr Bankole Bernard who took a cue from the speech FTAN, Mr Rabo also saw the need for a minister for culture and tourism thereby calling for a stand alone ministry.

It is time we take our position and write an open letter to the president, letting him know the importance of tourism in the Nigeria economy. And that the ministerial position for tourism shouldn’t be given to anybody but a person who has been in the body of tourism. The government needs to be conscious of the importance of tourism and how it can be used to eliminate poverty by creating wealth and employment for Nigeria.

Akeni Prosper, representing Oliver Enwonwu, President, Society of Nigeria Artists, said for a successful project to excel, it most first be a vision of one man which Chief Runsewe stood in that space and that vision need to be supported by other people which the stakeholders at this event represent.

“Propers however called for the creation of all year round tourist activities that will keep on creating avenue for tourists to have experience of their choice year round than waiting for the event that comes up once a year.

President NATOP, Hajia Bilikisu Abdut on her part preached the need to be patriotic by tell good stories about our Nigeria which she decribed as the beginning of get it right in tourism. She also implores journalists to give more reference to promotional stories than concentrating on negative news.

The Senior Adviser on tourism to the Governor of Plateau State, Mr John Likita Best commended the DG of NCAC for always leaving a good mark and beckoned on him to do more. He said “Tourism is a huge alternative for financing the country. Showing us Dubai is not enough unless if we can make a Dubai in Nigeria.”

Alhaji Badaki Aliyu, former national president, Hospitality and Tourism Management Association of Nigerian, HATMAN, encouraged private sectors to come together and support the vision of improving tourism in Nigeria. It is the duty of tours operators and tour agencies to put pressure on the government to see the importance of tourism and how it can sustainably turn around our economy.

Andrew Okugbuwa, President ANJET who spoke with candour said “Creative content drives tourism. With the absence of content, we have nothing to entice people with.” also the manner in which the government reacts to crisis and killings in the country, including travel operators is not encouraging at all.

“In our industry tourists have been kidnapped, getting to three weeks government didn’t make a pronouncement, it was some of us that had to force the government to make a pronouncement, with such king of delay in reponse bring in different insinuation that make fire bad image.”

President of HOFA Dr Chike Ezeude, who called on the stakeholders to put all hands deck said “it time we all stakeholders write a very strong letter and send it to Mr President because there is no minister strongly behind us, we need to come together and make a case for outselves.”

Nkeneuwem Onung, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Nigeria Association Tour Operators who also spoke with candour said that history helps and makes is better for us to understand our country, why other countries are succeeding and it also helps to know the problems we are having as Nigerians.

“I sit as a tourism practitioner and I’m wondering sometimes when we come together, everyone wants to be seen as an expert when they are not. If you are a tour operators stay on your lane, the travel agent stay on your lane and so on while we come together to contribute from our different point of expertise. Each of them has a unique role to play. And none of them should be undermined.”

He tasked the players and stakeholders on the need for professionalism, by standing on their line of business and not dabbling into areas they have no expertise on

Onung called for the need for a stand alone Ministry of Tourism and Culture, saying the minister is too busy with other areas like information and do not have time for culture and tourism.

Other contributors are from the Nigerian Institute of Tourism Professionals, the media, the hotel operators and hotel owners associations, travel and tourism promoters among others who raised several issues militating against the growth of culture and tourism in the country.

The event ended with the major players signing up to work together for the realisation of the new initiative.