As States in Nigeria look to develop tourist attractions to lure investors and boost internally generated revenues, experts in the travel, tourism and aviation industry have explained workable models the country can adopt to boost tourism.
Speaking during the 18th edition of the Akwaaba African Travel Market (AFTM), at the Eko Hotel, Lagos, Ikechi Uko, organiser, Akwaaba African Travel Market, said comparative study on what other sub-regions earn from tourism could throw light to what West Africa is losing from the sector because the 16 countries in the sub-region have not taken time to study and find ways to fully explore the opportunities available in these countries.
He stressed that Nigeria and Ghana are losing huge revenues because they have not developed their possible tourism destinations.
“If you look at what Egypt and South Africa are earning, including Kenya, Morocco and others in the other sub-regions in Africa, you will realise that the 16 countries in West Africa are losing a lot of money.
“Each country can earn at least $2 billion annually and that gives you about $32 billion. Nigeria alone can generate over $20 billion from tourism and even Lagos has so much that if it decides to develop its tourism destinations, it can generate enough money to fully manage the state,” Uko said.
Memunatu Pratt, the Sierra Leonean Tourism Minister, said sufficient marketing of both natural and heritage sites in the West Africa sub region is key to boosting tourism in Africa.
Pratt who spoke during the welcome party of the 2022 Akwaaba African Travel Market (AFTM), at Wave Beach, Elegushi, Lagos said to leverage tourism for economic growth and development, connectivity is also essential.
Speaking further, she said that marketing the tourism sites in West Africa will further create awareness for tourists who are ever ready to visit and explore new things.
She pointed out that countries in the region have not been able to adequately market tourism sites in the region to make tourists know where the sites are.
She advocated for an integrated marketing approach for the region’s efforts to yield the desired results.
“One of the things we are not doing enough is marketing. Our marketing of our natural resources, products and sites has not been enough. Our marketing has been towards the domestic, may be consumer and trade related. But we have not been able to market West Africa as it should, wherein people will know what is here and what is there. We know the tour operators are doing well but an integrated approach will make a lot of difference.
“Today, people are talking about the Economic Community of West Africa States(ECOWAS) Visa wherein if you have an ECOWAS Visa as a tourist, you can go to Accra or Lome. So, we have to think about integrated marketing. Let us also put together the facilities and the opportunities that are available. There should also be airline arrangements. If somebody comes with an ECOWAS Visa, there should be some discounts.
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“What is important is that it drives businesses; you see people coming to do hotels, coming to expand entertainment facilities, sponsoring local artists, film industry, it all drives the process of the development of the economy,” Pratt said.
Marketing, she said should not only be strategic but should also be in an integrated fashion, but she however lamented that the countries in the sub region are not on the same pedestal.
She called on the sub region to begin to advocate and conscientise by providing the kind of ownership that is required, adding that getting people to understand that this is the way to go at the level of government, civil society, the media and also the private sector is a good way to go.
Isa Usman, director, Turkish Healthcare Travel Council, Abuja Network, noted that for a good start and sustained boost to medical tourism in Africa, a conscious intra-bound and in-bound medical tourism must be developed. According to him, there is a need for political will by African governments in creating an enabling environment for healthcare service providers to thrive here.
Lagos is already working to redesign state-owned health facilities and positioning them for proper healthcare delivery as well as to boost medical tourism to the state from across the country and West Africa.
“Good medical facilities are designed to reduce the spread of infectious diseases, so all our designs now will have a significant low carbon footprint, at least 50 percent.
“We are redesigning our facilities such that it is keeping up with the climate change agenda to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and to rely more on designs to cool down the building and increase light into the building,” Akin Abayomi, a professor and Commissioner for Health, Lagos State, stated in his presentation at Akwaaba themed: ‘Medical Tourism and Lagos: How Lagos is Positioning for Medical Tourism’.
Akwaaba African Travel Market is a yearly international travel, tourism, and hospitality event, which has become one of the top five travel events in Africa and the leading tourism marketing platform in West Africa. Over the years, it has attracted exhibitors from over 20 countries.
For the 2022 edition, where over 3000 visitors are expected from all over Africa, the major highlights will be the second edition of the Africa Travel 100 Women Awards, the Youth in Tourism Conference and the Medical Tourism session.
