The Director General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Mr. Folorunsho Coker expressed his commitment to partner with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to ensure a quick intervention on some tourism assets while leveraging on strategic project in the South South region of the country bearing in mind that all the assets are domiciled in the State and Local government areas.
Coker made these assertions during a courtesy visit to the Chairman of NDDC, Senator (Chief) Victor Ndoma-Egba held in his office in Abuja recently.
The NTDC Boss said that it was necessary to redefine the tourism sector by giving it a brand identity that is easy to sell in order to stimulate economic growth as well as repositioning the Nigerian Tourism Industry.
“There is need to redefine the tourism sector in Nigeria, we need to start within our domain, focusing on consumption of our assets, promotion and development of domestic tourism, which will have multiple effects on job creation and poverty alleviation while strengthen GDP and our currency. Everyone in the value chain of tourism must work together and be ready to drive the market with a new brand TOUR NIGERIA” he said.
The NTDC Boss who called for a conscious investment in the promotion of domestic tourism, described Nigeria as a tourism market, with a vibrant and dynamic business environment. Coker, in his words said “one of my strategic imperatives to bring all stakeholder under one umbrella to sell a single all inclusive tour packages for Nigerians”, “we need to package tourism in a simple manner that the average Nigerian can use, if we don’t package it well, individuals cannot take advantage of it. Nigerian will understand the product better, because they are a most critical audience and will demand better value for their money, he said.
In his response, the Chairman NDDC, Senator Victor Ndoma- Egba heartily congratulated the DG NTDC for his newly deserved appointment, given his exploits in Lagos State Tourism Ministry.
“We are very happy that you are at the helms of affairs in NTDC, we are very proud of what you did in Lagos State, you are on a bigger stage now and we expect to make a difference in the Tourism sector as you did in Lagos” he said.
Senator Egba said NDDC was an intervention agency whose core mandate is to integrated and create partnerships, with relevant Agencies’ like NTDC especially now that there is a shift from oil and believes that if tourism can change the economy of Calabar, it can also happen in Nigeria, according to him, NDDC mission is to facilitate the rapid, ever growing and sustainable development of Nigeria.
The NDDC chairman solicited the support of the DG to intervene in the on-going case with the Calabar national museum which is a national monument and as such cannot be tempered with. Senator Egba expressed the willingness of the Commission to work with NTDC in sailing the ship of the tourism sector in the country because of its enormous potentials.
Coker reminded everyone that we are in the digital era which tourism in Nigeria has to explore all its benefits through adaptation and deploying the best technology along the tourism value chain
