Edo seeks synergy with stakeholders to boost tourism

The Edo State government on Monday called for synergy among stakeholders to develop the tourism sector and accelerate its recovery post-COVID-19

Itohan Bazuaye, permanent secretary, ministry of arts, culture, tourism and diaspora affairs, made the call at a rally to mark the 2021 edition of the World Tourism Day, in Benin City.

Speaking on the theme, “tourism for inclusive growth,” Bazuaye urged stakeholders to devise and deploy innovative recovery solutions that are home-grown, adding that plans are underway by the state government to introduce virtual tourism as one of the digital strategies to boost local tourism.

The permanent secretary, who noted that the pandemic negatively affected several sectors across the globe, including tourism, said the sector generated about N7 billion to Nigeria which amounted to 4.4 percent contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP).

Read also: Sigh of relief in Edo, but pessimism lingers over Obaseki’s slow pace after re-election

“The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) recently quoted Andrew Brown, the regional director, travel and tourism council, as saying that Nigeria lost over 770,000 jobs as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19 and its effect across the country. Brown also said that about $4.5 trillion was lost by the industry globally due to the impact of the deadly virus”, Bazuaye said.

Moreover, she said prior to the pandemic, one in every four new jobs was created by the tourism sector, thereby making the industry the best partner for government in employment generation.

Bazuaye said the restart of the tourism industry after the devastating effects of COVID-19 would help to kick-start its recovery and growth.

“Interestingly, before the outbreak of COVID-19, travel and tourism accounted for about 330 million jobs worldwide and the figure was projected to grow to 440 million by 2030. However, the negative consequences of COVID-19 have far-reaching effects on the socio-economic wellbeing of both developing and developed economies of the world,” she added.