Tourism cum hospitality experts at the recent Akwaaba Travel Market have assessed Lagos as a global tourism destination, saying that the city surrounded by water has the advantage of robust tourism activities. This, according to them, is coupled with hotels and entertainment activities much developed to match what obtains in other tourist cities. Pearl Ngwama reports.
Tourism has been described as the highest employer of labour globally and by extension a major boost to the economy.
In view of this, one of the major topics of discussion at the just concluded 18th Akwaaba was the possibility of Lagos Becoming a Global Travel Destination.’
Lagos is one of the top four visited cities in Africa but its potential ranks it as one of the best destinations in the world.
According to the Organisers of the 18th Akwaaba African Travel Market, Lagos has a similar identity as the most visited city of Bangkok in Thailand and should be attracting millions of visitors annually.
With the avalanche of robust tourism activities that take place within the state, occasioned mostly by its coastal nature, experts at the travel expo affirmed that Lagos is a potential vibrant tourism destination urging both the government and private sectors to do the needful in making this dream a reality.
A panel of discussion on the topic drawn from players in the industry were of the opinion that Lagos is a city rightly positioned as a global tourism destination.
Showbiz guru, Eddie Lawani, said Lagos can fulfill as a global city of destination because it has what other destinations have, saying that tourism is built on delivering what people want.
He added that you also need to know your right market; “do you know your right market?’
CEO Wakanow, a travel and tour outfit in Lagos, Mr. Bayo Adedeji, on his part said he will rephrase the topic and said ‘Lagos is a tourism destination.’
He said: “I opened a business in Lagos that did N1 billion in one year. Lagos is a tourist destination although it does not have infrastructure to support all that we need but there’s room for the private sector to thrive.”
According to him “beaches in Lagos are untapped and I do not believe that there’s no money.
To buttress this, he disclosed that last month Wakanow generated N16 billion, just in one month, adding that he made 1 billion from a beach in the first year while a club here in Lagos sold N30 million in one night.
Expert Photographer, Dayo Adedayo, posited that ‘after Nigeria is Lagos’ “because Lagos has that name and that name itself goes before you. Lagos is the vernice of Africa.
“The coastal region of Lagos can turn it into a big tourism city.”
Saying that he started a gallery that is a one-stop shop for you to see Nigeria, Adedayo said for him, Lagos is the capital of entertainment in Africa.
He condemned the idea of people making negative pronouncements on Nigeria and advised the younger generation “not to curse the land you work/walk upon or else it will not produce for you.”
“All I do is photography. In terms of tourism we have not even started. Nigeria is a land full of milk and honey. There are so many things to tap into; just choose one of them.
“Nobody owns a job because he went to Harvard. Tourism is the largest employer of labour anywhere in the world. The young ones should tap into tourism,” he said.
In his part, the Eko Hotel CEO, Mr. Danny Kioupouroglou, said we first need to develop tourism within. “We don’t need to go to Dubai, New York, and other destinations, we can do a lot of things in Lagos.
He pointed out that Lagos has a population of 30 million and people should spend money here Lagos, stating that money is needed in the form of incentive to develop tourism.
Private sector participation
A notable question by the moderator of the panel, who is also the convener of the Travel Expo was ‘what can the private sector do without the help of the government to bring Lagos to a global tourism destination?
In response, Adedayo noted that Lagos is moving away from the federal government from what the State is currently doing.
He further noted that from 18th of December every year Lagos used to be empty until January of the following year but that from 2017 to 2019 there has been a transition without the government putting anything in place.
However, the photography professional observed that the private sector is in business to make profit.
He complained about government policies impacting negatively on businesses, citing an example with his own business where he had to devise a way to get the images he uses because he would not be allowed in several places to take pictures.
“What is the government doing to help out? Security, infrastructure, and sense of direction? Do you give tax holidays? If these infrastructural support from the Lagos government are in place Lagos will do more.
“Therefore the private sector should be encouraged by the government through tax holidays, and other forms of incentives,” he said.
However, Adedayo said if we keep waiting for the government we will wait forever.
He therefore talked about creativity in whatever we are doing, saying that “we have done nothing, Wakanow is even just starting.”
Not supporting the ‘Japa’ syndrome, Adedayo asked what we can do to make a change.
“For me, there is a lot to do. Even if you are selling ‘akara’ package,
“We need to start telling our stories for the younger generation – like Razak Okoya who did not go anywhere but succeeded here in the country.
“So we do not have to wait for the government. Let us take the opportunity we have, we can contribute in our way to the society.
“It is not about making excess money but making success. What I want is for people to see the beauty in Nigeria.
“As for in tourism we have not started at all. So for me, Lagos is positioned because of the water surrounding it.”
Dayo seized the opportunity to advance the idea that good people need to go into partisan politics in order to change things.
“Good people need to go into politics to change things. Without us joining politics we will keep complaining from January to Christmas and nothing will change.
“Just go to your ward and get a card,” he urged.
According to Adedeji, there is a lot the private sector can do to develop Lagos as a global tourism destination because there is wealth to be made in Lagos.
He said: “Where people are complaining I see opportunity, I see money. There is money to make in Lagos. People should spend more money here and lodge in hotels here.
“If you have not gone out in Lagos and to a club you have not clubbed and that is our tourism.
“You have never clubbed anywhere in Lagos then you have never clubbed.”
Adedeji challenged people to take bold lion steps and not sit down talking about the government.
He averred that there was a need to build partnership and not competition, build hotels, and other tourist attractions.
Kioupouroglou corroborating Adedayo, he said we are very creative but we do not package. “Our content is good and that is what we need to drive.
“Nigerians are very creative but we need to package well. We need to develop ourselves, then people will come and then security will come.
Uko, in conclusion, said domestic tourism is doing well in Lagos- thriving; basically going through the hotels.
Meanwhile, Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, had in a press conference said that the tourism activities of the Ministry are deliberately structured towards positioning the State as a major destination in Africa, where the private sector can confidently invest its resources to advance the tourism and entertainment sectors.
According to her, the Tourism Master Plan will serve as a pathway for the implementation of every tourism activity in the State.
Akinbile-Yussuf added that the plan would change the narrative in the State’s tourism sector and ensure uniformity of government programmes, plans and policies in the development of tourism.
“There will now be a structured guideline that must be followed for the short, medium and long term tourism activities and projects.
“Apart from this, some areas of tourism activities that have not been given much attention are captured in the Master Plan to engender an all-round development of tourism in the coming years,” the Commissioner asserted.
She explained that more attention would be given to the development of the State’s Waterfront for tourism purposes as specified in the Beach and Leisure section of the Tourism Master Plan as well as the exploration of Medical tourism and focus on MICE (Meetings, incentives, Conferences and Exhibition), among others.
“We have equally identified the business side of entertainment and tourism. Beyond using tourism and entertainment as a vehicle for fun, relaxation and social integration, entertainment and tourism remain a major source of income generation for different countries and cities of the world and we will also leverage on this aspect to boost the State’s IGR,” she explained.