‘We need to return to travel expos and are asking government to bring back our Tourism Ministry’

In the absence of a coordinated event at the national level for the celebration of the World Tourism Day 2017, the Nigeria Association of Tour Operators (NATOP) hosted tourism stakeholders, travel media and some of their clients to an experiential boat cruise on the Lagos waterways to mark the day on September 27. In this interview, Nkereuwem Onung, president, NATOP, speaks to Obinna Emelike on the state of tourism across the country, how to salvage the sector to count in the Nigerian economy, among related issues.
Why is NATOP celebrating WTD 2017?
Well, when you talk about tourism, it is about tour operators. So, today is their day. This year’s theme is on sustainable tourism and it implies that whether government does anything or not, the tourism association, and the private sector need to show that it is their day.
We decided to come into the creeks, and to also prove that you can have fantastic experience on water. We have come to this resort and for most people; it is their first time and an eye opener to our rich tourism potential. Until you visit this resort, you will not know such a facility exist in Lagos and Nigeria at large.
With many tour operators on this trip, we are gaining practical experience on the products available here in order to be able to market these products better to our clients, especially the skeptics.
We are talking about using Sustainable Tourism for development purposes, but my issues is that we have set up the institutions in Nigeria, let them work.
This is domestic tourism, we are experiencing what we want others to experience. So, domestic tourism dovetails into inbound tourism.
We keep talking about statistics; the whole of West Africa has 10 percent inflow of tourists to Africa. Are we saying that oil has spoilt us? Four countries of South Africa, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco have a combine 60 percent of Africa’s tourist arrivals.
Nigeria seems to lag behind other African countries in inbound traffic, what do you think the country should do to revamp her tourism for global appeal?
First, let the institutions work. Secondly, we need to return to travel expos, who is marketing Nigeria if I may ask? Again, we want government to bring back our Tourism Ministry.
We need to return to travel expos and are asking government to bring back our Tourism Ministry.
On the domestic front, we have seen what is on offer here and the world class quality, hence we can bring foreigners here knowing that the product is quality having experienced it earlier. We were on a boat cruise and had fun, so also we can bring people to also have fun, but they are not coming and you may ask, what the problem is?
That is the issue, let the institutions work. One of the issues of tourism is the economic advantage and except people cross borders into Nigeria, the issue will remain. We are talking about 1.2 billion people travel across the world for tourism last year. How many of the over one billion visitors are crossing into Nigeria and this is our problem.
I think this why we need to get serious a bit, and are asking government to return to us our Tourism Ministry, let the institutions begin to work, let us market tourism the way it is supposed to be marketed.
For instance, everyone that was on Dubai delegation at the just concluded Akwaaba Travel Market in Lagos, had materials. But Dubai tourism checked the materials they are taking out to the expo to ensure that they represent the excellence of that country. These are the things we want to happen. On the contrary, if Nigeria wants to go to World Travel Market in London, where are we (tour operators) going to stand when Nigeria is not exhibiting? As tour operators, we need a platform to sale our products and our business is suffering for lack of such platforms now.
We are talking about inbound, how are people going to come when we have not exposed our products to them? Let’s make tourism work, it can work. When we did 7 Wonders of Nigeria, we discovered 55 solid tourism assets that can be developed and government needs to come in here.
Cross River State has done its best, but most of the assets are not working now. Where is the Federal Government? These are things we need to do, let’s take tourism seriously in Nigeria because it can fetch us huge foreign exchange, better image and standing in global scene.
Domestic tourism is hampered by many things, especially the infrastructure. But we are not even marketing the ones we have for instance this beautiful resort. We all have exciting outing here, but if you do not market the country, how will you get the inflow. The roads are bad, there are challenges here and there, but that does not mean we cannot do the ones under our control. Let’s experience domestic tourism first because it dovetails into inbound tourism and if it does not do that, it does not give us much value.
How can government come in?
Let the institutions work; that is what we are asking government because none is working now.
Government has the duty of providing for its citizens. Tourism is a simple thing, if you are expecting a visitor, keep your house in order. If you are expecting visitors, clean your house, give them food and security-it is as simple as that. That is why tourism is a developmental tool and the rest is pull factor such as the cable car, beach, festivals, canopy walk, among others. The pull factors create excitement and draw people. It creates leisure. People now get experience out of those things and if it does not happen the tour operator has no job.
Why are the two World Heritage Sites in the country unable to attract visitors?
We have a problem. We have not gone for any global travel expo in the last four years. So, who is marketing Nigeria? Nigeria is off the radar of global tourism for the lack of awareness of her offerings to would-be tourists. The little or no visits are part of the consequences we are bearing now for not marketing our country to global tourists. Since those four years and running, we have not gone to any travel or trade expo anywhere to market what we have, we don’t even know what the marketing material would look like.
It is affecting Nigerians, and it is affecting tour operators. For instance, if Nigerian tour operators want to go to World Travel Market this November, they will only go as visitors because there is not country stand to exhibit and reach out to visitors.
We can learn from what South Africa does at such global expos, it creates space for all her tour operators at the official stand. So, when people visit the stands they will be talking with the tour operators who know the country better and can market it appropriately.
Do you subscribe to the view in some quarters that Nigeria is not safe for tourists?
We are talking about guided tours. The tour operators know where is safe and it does not mean without security we cannot do tourism. It is all about knowing where to take your clients to, Nigeria is safe. We tour operators can do tourism, let them provide the job for us, there are no professional tour guides in Nigeria because they are not regular jobs.
How impressive is Nigeria’s tourism arrivals in recent time?
I don’t think we have up to a million in a year and it is a shame. South Africa just celebrated 10 million tourist arrivals. So, if we are saying that four African countries have 60 percent of the total tourist inflow in Africa, then you will wonder how many Nigeria has.
You insist on bringing back Tourism Ministry, is that a solution to the underperformance of tourism?
It will be helpful because it will form as the unifying platform. We are celebrating WTD today on our own because nobody called us for a single national event, so we have to organise this event because it is the purview of the tour operator.
We at NATOP are urging government to let tourism institutions work because the structures are there, government should return us to world trade expos because we are missing and nobody is marketing Nigeria. We tour operators want to market Nigeria.