By Joshua Olomu
The Women in Business and Tourism Society Nigeria (WIBAT Nigeria) has called on government at all levels to develop the rich tourism opportunities that abound in the country for revenue and job creation.
Sophia Khan National President of the body, made the call on Thursday during a courtesy visit of its members to the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Amb.Mariam Katagum in Abuja.
She said the group was at the ministry to brief the minister on its visions and mandate and seek areas of possible collaboration.
Khan explained that WIBAT Nigeria was conceived to promote domestic tourism by developing, promoting and marketing tourism centres in Nigeria.
According to Khan, as Nigeria seeks economic diversification from oil, its tourism potential is a goldmine that can serve as appropriate alternative, if properly hairnessed.
There is no state in Nigeria that does not have a mind-blowing tourism destination and tourism is the new oil.
We therefore urge both the federal, state and local governments to take tourism as a serious business opportunity that can create job and boost GDP.
We at WIBAT Nigeria promote our culture, tourism and generate income from the entire value chain.
As an oganisation, we encourage women to go into business, secure access to finance and enable them create value in the tourism value chain. she said.
Kkan said that cultural tourism, religion tourism and hospitality were among the bright potentials the nations tourism ecosystem offers.
In her remark, the Minister of State commended the WIBAT Nigeria leadership for its ingenuity and foresight in indentifying economic opportunities that abound in the tourism subsector.
She therefore urged the group to officially write to the ministry and identity areas of possible collaboration.
Tourism has an important role to play as the nation diversifies from oil and I still feel there is a huge gap in the sector.
As Nigeria joins the rest of Africa countries for trading under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), tourism is very key to Nigeria, she said
Katagum therefore urged the WIBAT Nigeria delegates to seek collaborations with relevant organisations and stakeholders in the sector, including the National Commission for Museums and Monuments(NCMM), the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, among others.
Source: NAN News