National Daily

Tourism master plan begins product launch

By ABIOSE ADELAJA

IN line with the vision of the Federal Ministry of Culture Tourism and National Orientation, the national tourism master plan implementation committee is ready to launch tourism products that will enhance the development of the sector in the country later this month.
The committee, a public private partnership, made up of tourism enthusiasts, banks and other stakeholders is planning a two-day national workshop on June 20 in Abuja. At a press conference last week, the committee head, Dr. Felix Obada told journalists that this is a dream come through.
“Tourism industry is under developed in Nigeria, yet the industry has the potentials to create wealth and alleviate poverty. It is also in line with the president's seven-point agenda.”
Similarly, the CEO of e-Tourism Limited, Mr. Segun Oladunni, added that the essence of the workshop is to mainstream ICT into the national tourism master plan.
The e-Tourism products to be launched are the national and state portals. These are websites where stakeholders in the industry can advertise their products such as hotels, resorts, etc, to the Nigeria and the world.
The second product to be launched is the Tour Nigeria Magazine. The magazine is designed to showcase all Nigeria's tourism potentials and heritage.
The tourism Cash card and the VOiP card are designed to improve payments methods. There is also a tourism infrastructural development project called the Farinruwa project. The project is facilitated by the AIM Consultant. Lastly is the Nigeria festival in the UK, which is designed to project the country's image to the diaspora.
The supporting banks involved in this project are Intercontinental, Zenith and Access Banks PLC.