The Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has said his government is set boost tourism business in the state through massive investment to develop the tourist sites in the state to attract local and inbound tourists. The governor said this recently during a courtesy visit to his office by executive members of the National Association of Tour Operators (NATOP) led by the president, Hajia Bolaji Mustapha. The NATOP executives were in the Ondo State Governor’s office to inform him of the association’s coming AGM holding in Akure, the state capital from July 2 to 6, and also seek his support.

Governor Aiyedatiwa assured NATOP of his government’s support for its AGM. As part his support for the AGM, the governor released the Dome conference centre in Akure for the AGM. He said the state government was aware of the rich tourist sites in the state and intends developing them, and part of these efforts was the construction of road leading the foremost Idanre hills from Akure to make it more accessible. He also said the Ore-Akure road was being reconstructed and widened to make access to key tourism sites easy. Aiyedatiwa said the state plans developing the Araromi beach front in Araromi, which he described as the longest beachfront in Nigeria. The idea, he said, was to make the beachfront accessible to tourists including those from Lagos using quad bikes, a distance of less than 45 minutes journey. Major development at the Araromi beach front will include waterfront chalets and other recreational facilities.

In her speech, the NATOP President said she was amazed by the variety of tourist attractions in Ondo. She described her visit to the famous La Campagne Forest, Hills and Caves in Ondo which was amazing. She further added: “We have Idanre Hills, the Araromi beach, the Nibalola Resort, a farm, 500 acres, you have a hotel, overlooking a lake , golf course and at the same time overlooking a farm which is sitting on a 500 acre, and nobody is talking about it. These are some of the tourist attractions in Ondo we want to promote.”