At less than 3.5%, FTAN eyes tourism bank, N’Delta destinations in bid to boost sector’s GDP contribution

At less than 3.5% contribution to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the tourism industry has been described as “not living up to its potentials given the abundance of tourist destinations and untapped resources in the country.”

Badaki Aliyu, National President of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria, pointed to the need for a robust collaboration between the government and the private sector to bridge the gap in tourism development in the country.

He was speaking at the inauguration of the South South Zonal Council of the association, held in Port Harcourt.

Aliyu stressed the need for robust government intervention and initiatives, such as the Tourism bank, development of tourist destinations across the country and harnessing available data that will boost tourism development in the country.

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He said the government is expected to play a greater role by partnering with tourism practitioners to improve on the sector’s contribution to the Nigerian GDP, while urging governments at all levels to provide an enabling environment, security and infrastructure for the sector to thrive.

“You can’t have a tourism destination when the product is not well marketed. If people are not aware of the product, it will be difficult for them to come to your state on tourism.”

On the development of the tourism bank, Aliyu said efforts in that regard have been ongoing, adding that “the problem is that nobody has been able to access the percentage that is supposed to be set aside for tourism development in the country.”

He decried the lack of available data on tourist sites and potentials, adding that “At the moment, we can’t talk of improvement on available data because the data is not available as indices to work with. As part of our mandate, we are setting up a body to collate the data to work with.

Aliyu said that FTAN, as an umbrella body of Tourism businesses in Nigeria, which is recognised by the government, it behoves members to close ranks to ensure that tourism activities thrive in the country and in the zones generally.

Faith Esohe Essien, FTAN’s Vice President, South South, described the inauguration of the zonal executives as a defining moment in the collective effort of the association to reposition the South South as a formidable force in Nigeria’s tourism and hospitality landscape.

She described the South South as a tapestry of beauty, culture, and abundance from the ancient splendour of Benin City to the rhythmic festivals of Rivers and Bayelsa states and from the tranquil coastlines of Akwa Ibom and Cross River to the lush deltas of Delta and Edo.

Essien decried the fact that much of the zone’s natural and cultural wealth remains untapped, adding that the collective mission of FTAN is to unlock the tourism destination of the southsouth in a responsible and sustainable enterprise, ensuring tourism becomes a true growth, vehicle for environmental economic stewardship, community empowerment and guided by the body’s mandate of ‘Tourism Transformation as a Federation.’

“Our focus as a region will be on accelerating regional investment, reimagining our heritage, investing in human capacity, strengthening partnerships, and empowering our people. We are poised to translate our natural endowments into enduring prosperity.

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“This calls for promoting eco-tourism, supporting community-based enterprises, strengthening public-private partnerships, and leveraging technology and digital storytelling to showcase our region to the world,” she said.

The vice president further said the inauguration of the South-South zonal council executives marks “the dawn of green horizons where nature and enterprise meet, where culture and innovation thrive, and where the South-South stands tall as a model of sustainable tourism in Nigeria.”