FUNKE OSAE-BROWN
The Eko Hotel and Suites Convention Centre was a beehive of activities on a warm Monday morning in April. The ladies at the registration desk were fully occupied. I got my tagged and walked into the hall not without security checks, of course.
The beauty of the booths at the main foyer struck not a few of us. Each booth had something to say, to visitors at the maiden edition of Lagos Tourism Summit, about the aquatic city. Whispering Palms resort located in the coastal town of Badagry was on ground to tell everyone their unique offerings for weekend getaways and extended holiday at the resort.
Opposite Whispering Palms was the TIDA booth where guests were taken on virtual reality tour of some tourists’ sites in Lagos. In addition, Texas Connection Ferry was on ground to market its ferry services and tours of the Lagos waterways just as La Campagne Tropicana resort’s presence was a taste of what Lagos has to offer in terms of tourism.
Rightly so, our host, Lagos Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture had a prominent booth were guest at the event had a chance to ask questions about the city of Lagos and its tourism offerings.
Before long, the hall began to fill as the presence of the chief host, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode was announced by the duo of Dare Aart Alade and Sola Kosoko, the event anchors. This was followed by an engaging musical and dance performance of the Lagos themed song, ‘Eko’ with Aart Alade as the lead vocalist.
The host of the day, Steve Ayorinde, commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture said in his welcome address Lagos saw the light in due time in tourism as the new oil which also informed the theme for the summit, ‘Destination Lagos: Towards A Sustainable Tourism-Driven Economy’.
“Lagos is a land of opportunities. The proverbial land of dreams. Our interest in tourism is in line with the vision of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to use project T.H.E.S.E to develop the state’s economy. A lover of entertainment, Governor Ambode believes tourism is the new oil. Lagos in the last three years has been saturated with ideas to take the state to the next level. We have identified the low hanging fruits. Lagos is a cultural force to reckon with. Therefore, the summit will raise the bar of its tourist potentials.”
It was then the turn of Governor Ambode to speak. “I am happy I am fully dressed today,” he said jokingly as he mounts the podium while referring to the traditional Yoruba Agbada he had on. In the last three years, his administration has been consciously investing in infrastructural projects that will support the state’s vision to fully maximise its tourism potentials for a total economic growth and development.
“As a government, we are conscious of the fact that infrastructure, security, stability and partnership with all stakeholders are fundamental ingredients for tourism development. We have channeled a lot of resources into creating an enduring infrastructural architecture for the business of tourism to thrive,” he said.
Ambode said the plans, concepts and executions of his administration are deliberate and well thought-out to make the highly populated mega city-state culturally attractive and artistically functional.
“In order to do this successfully, we must first build a solid infrastructural architecture that will endure. It must be safe and secure; it must provide functional and diverse venues for the arts, culture, festivals, creative industry, recreation and wildlife; and it must constantly and productively engage with its critical stakeholders.
“So when you see us reclaim 50 hectares of land at the Oworonshoki end of our lagoon; when you see us clear a whole stretch at the Badagry and Epe Marina; when we insist that our prime waterfront must not be taken over by shanties and slums; when you see us embark on some ambitious road, fly-over and modern bus terminal constructions; we are preparing the grounds for a major source of employment and prosperity.”
In addition, the business minded governor stated clearly that the activities within the tourism sector contributed about N800billion to the State’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2017 hence his interest in developing that sector.
“The tourism sector contributed about $2.2billion (N800billion) to the Lagos GDP in 2017 and with the infrastructure and resources we are deploying in this sector, we expect this figure to double or treble in the next 5 years.
“The enormous resources we have deployed in physical and social infrastructure across the State will begin to crystallize by December into mega structures that will support tourism and market our state as a smart destination,” he explained.
Furthermore, the keynote delivered by former Ghanaian president, John Mahama held the hall spell-bound and he clearly expounded some of the steps his administration took to lay a good foundation for the Ghanaian tourism industry.
He stated that investment in infrastructure with the billions of dollars revolving in the sector across the world and over 1.8billion tourists, the Lagos is heading in the right direction in its bid to become Africa’s tourism hub.
“I’ve been following the progress Lagos has made on various fronts and I join those who have celebrated Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for the contributions he has made within this short period to enhance the efforts and contributions of his predecessors. There are potential billions of naira in revenue that Lagos State could earn in the next several years with the successful implementation of the plan that you intend could come out of this summit.
“If you looked at the nearly $7trillion that is supposed to be earned from tourism, then definitely Lagos State positioning itself as a favourite destination for tourism to get a share of this huge cake is a very wise decision by Governor Ambode and his team.
“Thankfully, Lagos in preparation for the launch of the State’s tourism master plan has begun upgrading and expanding critical infrastructure including transportation, roads and of course the recent reclamation that is ongoing,” he said.
There were other paper presentations by different speakers at the summit by Professor Pat Utomi, Desmond Majekodunmi, Omotayo Omotosho, Philip Hughes, on different aspects of tourism.
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