Edo State Government said it would unveil the state’s Heritage Promotion and Protection Policy as part of activities to mark the 2023 World Tourism Day.
The World Tourism Day celebration which is scheduled to hold on September 27, 2023 has as its theme, ‘Tourism and Green Investment.’
Uyi Oduwa Malaka, commissioner for Arts, Culture, and Tourism who disclosed this to newsmen in Benin City said that this year celebration emphasises the vital need for investment in building a tourism sector that delivers for people and the planet.
Malaka said stakeholders in the state’s tourism sector would be rallied at the event to get their inputs in the recently drafted Edo State Heritage Promotion and Protection Policy.
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She explained that the Heritage Promotion and Protection Policy document is aimed at setting guidelines and implementation strategies for the conservation and promotion of the State’s tangible and intangible heritage materials.
The commissioner added that the policy was in line with efforts to make the state a tourist destination of choice.
“World Tourism Day is a day set aside by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) to foster awareness of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, and economic values to mankind.
‘‘Tourism is a positive force of nature that helps to connect our heritage, historicity and our present. It connects culture civilizations and melts humanity into a common narrative of origins and experiences.
“This policy places robust emphasis on preservation, conservation and maintenance of our heritage sites and intangible heritage that is consistent with this year’s theme of green investment,” she said.
The Commissioner further said that activities to mark the occasion would hold at the Ogba Zoological Garden with the major focus on unveiling the State’s Heritage Promotion and Protection Policy.
She further said that the event would feature stakeholders’ input in the recently drafted Edo State Heritage Promotion and Protection Policy, guided tours, workshops and would highlight some of the milestones recorded by the state government in the tourism space.
She encouraged participants and stakeholders in the sector to suggest ideas that will promote sustainable tourism practices through environmentally-friendly initiatives.
