The ‘ Baits ‘ of tourism
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A case study of a dysfunctional Nigerian tourism board
- written by chidiebere Solomon
Last year I visited TB Joshua and behind the church and the back street was a typical dirty Lagos without roads and sewage systems , no illuminations and where we had lots of hotels that was below acceptable standards for visitors
And you can’t help but wonder how the Lagos state tourism management board ever granted them licenses for hospitality business especially considering they will be hosting international visitors as well
I have travelled across the globe 🌎 and I have seen tourism empower so many societies and economies. What’s the bait for tourist ? That bait .. some only have the airline as a bait , some casinos , some are coastal lines and beaches, some are medical and some are churches or religious tourism as in the case of Synagorgue, Jerusalem or Mecca .. but above all The social , economic or environmental impact on the society via these ‘baits’ can never be overemphasized. Even weed and nudity have played its role as a bait in luring tourists to some locations and we know .
Lagos state Government / Nigerian Government / it’s tourist Management boards .. are the the most unintelligent organizations .
Synagorgue/ TB Joshua is the only institution whether by hook or crook that have been constant in the business of bringing in tourists and visitors into Nigeria 🇳🇬 on a daily basis in spite of growing insecurity in the society and the natural deaths of tourists attractions in the country . Apart from the visa revenue accruing to them why can’t our government turn Ikotun Egbe or at least that particular environment into a tourists heaven .
1. fix standard or the best roads
2. Shopping mall for showcasing Nigerian arts and crafts or for shopping convenience of visitors
3. Possibly a natural park with animals only known to be found in Nigeria . I know some species of monkeys and reptiles
4. Recreation centers
5. Relocate some inhabitants of that place to make way for these structures. You resettle them somewhere else . Or build them model homes .
6. Transform that place and make it a model Nigeria city that must bring pride to our nation .
These actions if taken by our government would have gone a long way in shaping the mentality of visitors and probably other counties or municipalities would have started adopting this model to better their societies . Massive creation of jobs and revenue would have been achieved .
We should never forget that there is always something , someplace of interest that will lure visitors and subsequently lead to the development of that location .
Whoever is close to the authorities should please advise them to avail themselves of this golden opportunity while it’s still open .
