BEVERLY HILLS, May 24, (THEWILL) – In this piece, JANEFRANCES CHIBUZOR looks at the potentials derivable from the Lagos State multi-destination tourism agenda
Tourism practitioners and other stakeholders recently gathered in Lagos to discuss the way forward for the sector and how to enhance tourism facilities across the state. They also discussed ongoing plans to develop historic monuments across state
According to them, one way to achieve this growth is to develop a tourism framework that will serve as a guide for the implementation of every tourism activity in the state.
Having understood that, they also resolved to establish a common purpose and collaboration among public and private sectors, alongside other tourism related sectors to stir up the state revenue generation through growth in tourism.
The state, no doubt, is endowed with a wide range of tourism facilities, which include waterfront, eco-tourism, leisure, the business side of entertainment, heritage sites and others.
Speaking durig the 2021 briefing on tourism, arts and culture in Lagos State, the Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, said the development of a Tourism Master Plan that would serve as a pathway to the implementation of every tourism activity in the State.
Akinbile-Yussuf added that the document would change the narrative in the state’s tourism sector and ensure uniformity of government programmes, plans and policies in the development of tourism.
She described the document as a worthwhile achievement under the administration of Sanwo-Olu, in addition to other tourism infrastructure in place simultaneously in different parts of the state.
With the master plan in place, she averred that the era of haphazard development of tourism activities in the state had passed. “There will now be a structured guideline that must be followed for short, medium and long-term tourism activities and projects.
“Apart from this, some areas of tourism activities that have not been given attention before has now been captured in the master plan and this will engender all-round development of every aspect of tourism in the coming years.”
She explained that more attention would be given to the development of the state’s Waterfront for Tourism purposes under Beach and Leisure captured in the Tourism Master Plan, the exploration of medical tourism, focus on MICE (Meetings, incentives, Conferences and Exhibition), among others.
“We have equally identified the business side of entertainment and tourism. Beyond using tourism and entertainment as a vehicle for fun, relaxation and social integration, entertainment and tourism remain a major source of income generation for different countries and cities of the world and we will also leverage on this aspect to boost the State’s IGR.
“We believe in creating an enduring atmosphere for tourism activities to thrive, being a private-sector driven sector. It is our belief that when businesses operate under the right atmosphere, the economic activities of the State would increase and the resources at the disposal of government would also be impacted greatly,” the commissioner averred.
She said that within the last one year, which is the second year of the present administration, the ministry had made appreciable progress in positioning entertainment and tourism to occupy their rightful positions.
Akinbile-Yussuf also said: “We have maintained a better relationship with our stakeholders, developed policies that would guide tourism activities and also implemented programmes and projects as it relates to the fulfilment of the fifth pillar of the themes agenda of Sanwo-Olu administration.
“On a separate development, she affirmed that the plan to develop and harness the potentials of domestic tourism in the State was on course.
She stated that the outbreak of the Coronavirus in 2020 further underscored the need to focus on the development of inherent tourism potentials in the State, considering the effect of the embargo placed on international tourists last year following outbreak of the deadly virus globally.
She dislosed new tourism sites were recently discovered in Badagry, Epe and Alimosho areas of the State, assuring that the new tourism sites would be developed and harnessed to international standard to attract international tourists.
Apart from the new tourism potentials discovered, Akinbile-Yussuf also hinted that new heritage sites were equally discovered in Ikorodu area of the State, saying that the state government would take over the management and development of the heritage sites as a way of boosting heritage tourism activities.
She promised that efforts would be intensified to discover more tourism potential that abound in other divisions of the State through constant visitations to the State’s hinterland and engagement with stakeholders in different communities across the State.
On other efforts made to boost tourism and creative activities in the state, the commissioner reported that the administration of Sanwo-Olu has renovated the Lagos Glover Memorial Hall, which is one of the oldest theatre halls in Lagos, and very well known for hosting plays, dance drama, concerts and other historical performances.
She informed that the iconic project, which is now wearing a new look on Customs Street, Lagos Island was completed, fully furnished and officially commissioned by Governor Sanwo-Olu in March, 2021 after which the Ministry engaged a temporary facility manager to oversee the management of the hall.
In the same vein, she also disclosed that construction works on a major infrastructural project which will serve tourism, cultural and artistic purposes in the State, J. K Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History is nearing completion and would upon completion, change the aesthetic of the cultural hub of Lagos Island, Onikan to be precise.
“J. K Randle Centre is an edifice of cultural, ethnographic, historical, and anthropological education and elucidation of Lagos and the Yoruba race in general,” she said.
