Tourism cannot thrive without legal framework —Folarin Coker

DIRECTOR-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Mr. Folorunsho Coker, has said that domestictourism is inevitable for sustainable economic diversification.

Coker, who said this in an interview with journalists in Abuja prior to the 2017 World TourismDay, described domestictourism as the only form of sustainabletourism that is shock-resistant to terrorist attacks and foreign exchange depreciation, and the foundation on which internationaltourism can land safely in terms of value for money, quality for service and maturity of tourist destinations and institutions.

This year’s edition of the World Tourism Day will be celebrated in Doha, Qatar, today with the theme: “Sustainable Tourism – a Tool for Development.”

The World Tourism Day 2017, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), presents a unique opportunity to raise awareness on the contributions of sustainable tourism to development among public and private sector decision-makers and the international community, while mobilising all stakeholders to work together in making tourism a catalyst for positive change.

Revealing his plans to ensure rapid growth of domestictourism in Nigeria, Coker said his administration created a sub-brand, ‘Tour Nigeria’, a five-point plan that aims to promote domestictourism and encourage the ease of doing business in Nigeria.

The plan, which has the acronym ‘CHIEF’, according to him, seeks to introduce global best practices for the tourism industry, encourages human capital and infrastructure development, and aims to promote and protect Nigeria’s cultural heritage, while also pushing for capital projects in the tourism sector.

The NTDC boss, who also enjoined Nigerians to learn to celebrate what the country is blessed with, stressed the need for a restructuring of the laws governing the practice of tourism in Nigeria. Coker said the change in the NTDC bill was to ensure international best practices in the nation’s tourism industry, adding that the 2017 bill, as against the extant Act, would open up avenues of collaboration with different stakeholders hoping to enter into partnerships in order to promote the industry.

Coker said: “We don’t have the ideal model to have a functional framework compared with some of the countries around the world, but what we have is good. If we compare Nigeria, especially with regard to cultural destination heritage tourism that we traditionally known as tourism, to other countries, it is obvious that we are very wealthy.

“And when you talk of security, it is an indisputable fact that there is no country that does not have a security issue. If you are at war, you have a problem. Every country has an element of crime. Crime today has drastically come down in the country. France, Israel and London, among others, have suffered serious terrorist attacks, but people still go there. So, why are we so quick to say negative things about our wonderful country and her assets? We should be quick to celebrate what we have.

“However, our destinations and our cultural tourism assets have not been the focus of our investment drives, both from the private and the public sector; hence, those things have suffered. But now, we are drawing attention to them, encouraging people to invest in these huge tourism assets.”

While describing Nigeria as a labyrinth of enviable tourismassets and potential, the NTDC boss disclosed that, over the years, Nigeria had been fortunate to develop new forms of cultural exchange. Our music, is huge around the world. Our Nollywood is number two in the world. Our fashion is simply superb, with our fashion designers competing at international level. Our food and our religion enjoy good attention globally. This shows how rich we are in tourism assets. It is now for us to decide what we want and the ingredients needed; then put them together to prepare a sumptuous tourism meal to be enjoyed by our nation.”

On the election of the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, as the vice president of UNWTO, the DG stated that NTDC would be the greatest beneficiary of the election.

“Alhaji Lai Muhammed is a tenacious hardworking, driven person, and I am sure it is the recognition of his outstanding personal qualities, commitment to the growth of the industry and drive that earned him the position.

“Again, the fact that the 2018 UNWTO General Assembly will be held in Nigeria is a great privilege for us. The experience of Nigeria by such a high level delegates will make the tourism ministers across the globe our cultural ambassadors. Bringing them to Nigeria will serve a great purpose: it will give us a fair hearing and reverse all the unfair constant negative conversations about Nigeria,” Coker said.

Coker described the relationship between tourism and the media as a special one, saying, “Tourism cannot be sold by keeping quiet. If I don’t enlighten the people on what they need to know about the importance of tourism, the industry will always be on the back burner. I will not stop promoting the need to embrace domestictourism until the country begins to make good revenue through the industry.”