Rivers State’s tourism value chain estimated to be N4trn
By BARBARA KALU, Port Harcourt –
At a time when other states within and outside the Niger Delta region depend heavily on revenue from oil, Rivers State has unveiled plans to develop its tourism industry, which is estimated to be worth as much as N4 trillion, according to experts.
This is even as official sources have suggested that current value at Rivers tourism industry could, indeed be in the region of N100 billion based on the results some studies released in Port Harcourt last month.
Director-General of the Rivers State Tourism Development Agency (RSTDA), Yibo Koko, disclosed that a consultant had worked hard to study the tourist potentials of the state and that the true value of the industry was identified and where the industry could get to was also identified as targets.
He was addressing the guests that turned out to watch traditional dances at the Hotel Presidential in Port Harcourt during the World Tourism Day 2024, saying that there were lots of low hanging fruits ready to be tapped to boost the tourism resources.
It would be recalled that during the tenure of the late Alabo tonye Graham-Douglas as commissioner of Culture and Tourism, the state had developed a robust tourism industry when it created the concept of Rivers Cultural Festival.
This was what had attracted the attention of the then Military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, who wasted no time in appointing Graham-Douglas as Minister and saddling him with the responsibility of developing a similar concept that eventually gave birth to FESTAC ’77.
According to Koko, the coming of Governor Sim Fubara has rekindled the hunger and hopes for cultural revival and the tourism industry.
The Director-general was hopeful the famous Tourist Beach in the Garden City would soon bounce back and become an international tourist attraction, just as the zoo would be revamped to attract visitors around the world with animals that are rare to find, saying other business activities that take place in such places would begin to happen.
Also speaking, the permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Ishmael Dieokuma, remarked that the body language of the governor oozed peace.
According to Dr. Dieokuma, the World Tourism Day, with the theme: “Tourism and Peace, resonated well with Rivers State that was returning to peace and happiness.
On his part, the Speaker of the State’s House of Assembly, Victor Oko-Jumbo, supported the notion that the body language of the governor was that of peace. He said: “This particular state called Rivers state is pragmatic and has a peace-loving governor.
He said: “The governor has considered this event a priority in ensuring that our dear Rivers State is part of the commemoration of this very significant global event.”