The perception of Lagos by tourists and indeed Nigeria as always been lopsided partly because of the information disseminated by cable news and perhaps by the ones supplied by the hotels where these tourists lodge whenever they are in the country. So, for most of them that visit the country, staying in the hotel is safer for them. But Lagos is not all gloom and doom as perceived by foreigners and as painted by foreign newswire. It has more than enough sites to attract tourists to the state. It was for this purpose that the Nigerian Association of Tour Operators (NATOP), decided to collaborate with its counterpart from the South African Tourism, on a city tour of Lagos to disabuse the minds of those that have hitherto held lopsided view about the state. The tour kicked off from one of the highbrow hotels on the Island.
It was all fun and excitement all the way as NATOP took the tour operators from South Africa on some major roads in Lagos. Our first port of call was to visit the mainland through third Mainland Bridge, which is the longest bridge in Africa over water. We passed Alausa the Lagos seat of power- Lagos House of Assembly, through the ever busy Allen Avenue. We went through Mary Land, passed through Ikorodu road. We saw both the National Stadium and the Tesilim Balogun Stadium. We saw the national Art Theatre as we made our way through Carter Bridge. Back to the Island, we went through Osborne road, passed the new cable-stayed bridge linking Lekki and Ikoyi. Now, the excitement heightened as some of the tourists brought out their cameras and began clicking. The high point of the tour was at Nike Art Gallery where the tourists were thrilled to the rich cultural display by Yoruba Bata dancers. The gallery owned by Chief Nike Okundaye is home to 7000 artefacts. The tourists all dressed in the Yoruba and Bini attire, were thrilled, with some doing the Yoruba dance. Some a bit
disappointed that they didn’t had chance to pound “Iyan” the Yoruba name for pounded yam, and make AdireWe made a brief stop at Eko Atlantic City’s office, listened to a presentation from one of the staff on the endless opportunities open to investor. Eko Atlantic is an emerging city unlike any other. Rising on Land reclaimed from the Atlantic Ocean, it is a symbol of Nigeria’s proud and ambitious spirit. They were wowed by this amazing master piece. It was now time to unwind, as the tourists were treated to some Nigerian delicacies from Terra Kulture. They enjoyed the Nigerian pepper soup.
Speaking on the tour, President, Nigerian Association of Tour Operators (NATOP), Mr. Nkereuwem Onung said if Nigeria’s tourism industry is to experience any meaningful growth and become a force to reckon with in Africa, the Federal Government must ensure that it strengthens its institutions and muster the political will to drive the sector.
He said the Federal government as a matter of urgency must begin to prioritize tourism in the country and develop marketable strategies to drive the tourism industry.
Nkereuwem noted that despite the challenges faced by South Africa, tourists still throng the country due to the positive projection given it by the government of the country.
“For us the institutions and the federal government needs to be strengthened to be able to say this is what we have so that when this kind of collaboration is taking place, people will need to push it because there are some areas you need your political will, you know government will need to empower the institutions. South Africans have their issues but they are still going out to market their country.
“So for me two things are key, strengthen the institutions, appoint people that are knowledgeable about the industry and then allow the content to be provided by the practitioners. And I think that in time we will have a change.”
The NATOP president added that one of the purposes for organizing the city tour was to demonstrate to their South African counterparts that despite the challenges being faced by the Nigeria, the country is still safe for tourist to visit.He pointed out that Nigeria has a lot of attractive sites to showcase to tourists if the right strategies are applied and the right people put in place to drive the industry.
“We are seeing South African Tourism, they are doing their best despite their own problem. You know sometimes people will want to look at insurgency, but Nigeria is a safe country. South Africans also have their issues but they are still going out to market their country. It is just the same thing here, we are tour guides, we know where to take you to.
“You heard the story of how a lion attacked a tourist inside a park in South Africa, so what we are saying is that our country as far as we are concerned is safe for tourism and there are tour operators who know where to take tourist to.”
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