Renowned hospitality expert and specialist in Africa’s tourism and hospitality industry, Mr. Trevor Ward, has called on Nigerian government at all tiers to take the private sector industry practitioners along on matters that bother on tourism development.
Trevor Ward, who is the managing director of W Hospitality, was speaking on the topic: “Building Sustainable Tourism Development Fund for Lagos Tourism: Strategies and Challenges”,at the recently held Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria’s (ITPN) Lagos Tourism Roundtable 2022, with the theme: Lagos Tourism: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. He said: “To make it less difficult, take the industry along with you, all the way; if the private sector can see a benefit to them, they will be supportive of hypothecated tourism tax.” He again reiterated that interfacing with private sector stakeholders and being on the same page with them was absolutely crucial in establishing a tourism development fund.
Speaking on key lesson in developing a tourism development fund, he said the first thing was to know what would be achieved through the fund. He said there should a clearcut identification of what would be achieved and that the legislation that would establish such fund should also be included.
The second lesson, he said, was that policy makers must know they are trying to achieve through the fund and also how the fund could be sourced.
Ward said the third lesson was that policy makers should take the private sector along while the development fund is being sourced. He said: “to make it less difficult, take the industry along with you all the way-if the private sector can see the benefit to them, then they will be supportive.
In his remark at the occasion, the President, ITPN, Chief Abiodun Odusanwo, said the reason for the roundtable was to provide an interactive platform for key stakeholders in the industry on how to make Lagos a tourism hub, not just in Africa but the world at large: “the interactive session of key players and critical stakeholders of the Travel Tourism and Hospitality industry of Nigeria is with the view of charting a visible, workable and viable roadmap for the growth and development of a sustainable tourism industry that places Lagos state as the hub and preferred destination of the African Continent in particular and the world at large.”
Odusanwo said having a vibrant tourism industry in Nigeria would help improve the socio-economic condition of the people. He said: “Therefore, having a sustainable and viable tourism industry is an important task that all states of the federation eagerly look forward to for an improved socio-economic climate for the good of the people. It is for this reason that this event is been organized specifically targeted at entrenching a functional and sustainable tourism industry for Lagos State.”
The ITPN President praised the Lagos State government for its commitment to tourism development in the state, saying the state has done much to put infrastructural facilities in place, paving the way for a healthy and enabling environment for the tourism industry to flourish. He spoke further: “The successful hosting of national and global events in the state are all pointers that the state has huge potentials for conference tourism as well as the numerous cultural and religious gatherings that annually attract millions of visitors from all walks of life to the state. I can go on and on listing the many competitive advantages Lagos state has to be the hub of African tourism and preferred destination globally.
We therefore have enough reasons as industry players and owe the state a duty to midwife all that it takes to position the state for a sustainable tourism growth and development.”