The Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) has said the country has so many tourism products to sell to the world, to generate revenue to sustain and boost its economy.
The Zonal Coordinator, NTDC, South-East, Mrs Annette Ibeh, told newsmen on Friday in Enugu that there was the need for every sector in Nigeria to look out for tourism products and showcase them.
Ibeh said different communities in the country had their unique forms of tourism products to display that would attract domestic and international tourists and create jobs for youths and women.
According to her, individuals and communities should look into these products for their potential to generate revenue for the country.
“We have waterfalls, cultural festival/heritage, food and others.
“In Enugu for instance, we have local delicacies like Abacha (Tapioca), Okpa and local beans (fiofio) and there is need to showcase all these culinary tourism,” Ibeh said.
She recalled that in the past, Nigerians used to travel overseas to showcase the country’s products.
“The culinary tourism from north, south, east and west used to showcase in Europe and they like to taste Nigerian foods. They will troop into our pavilion and enjoy our different delicacies and still come the next day because they felt satisfied,” she said.
The coordinator also emphasised the need for sectors in Nigeria to critically harness these products to attract tourists.
She urged stakeholders to use the 2021 World Tourism Day to create awareness on the impact of tourism on the life of the country’s economy.
Nigeria, she said, should celebrate it more because the person that moved motion for World Tourism Day was a Nigerian.
“But, there is hope as we have new channels of tourism anchored on music, comedy and fashion. The music and comedy makes people to relax and enjoy while other countries are copying Nigerian fashion through the Internet,” she added.
She urged governments and individuals to invest in domestic tourism, saying that oil was exhaustible while tourism is sustainable, stressing that the country needed to diversify, in order to sustain the growth of the nation. (NAN)
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