By Joan Odafe

The President of Nigeria Association of Tour Operators (NATOP), Mrs Bolaji Mustapha, has called on government agencies, industry players and the media to increase efforts in promoting the nation’s untapped tourism potential.

This, she said, would attract both local and international tourists.

Mustapha made the call during a Roundtable Meeting with the Association of Nigerian Journalists and Writers of Travel (ANJET) on Wednesday in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was aimed at discussing how Nigeria’s local destinations sites can be promoted to boost tourism.

Mustapha, who is also the Managing Director of Grand Express Tour Centre (GET Centre), said years of grassroots advocacy by the operators was beginning to yield results.

According to her, NATOP has focused on identifying new tourism sites across the country that can be promoted globally.

“People are beginning to see those things we are trying to put out there,” she said.

She said the association had identified some destination sites in Ondo State.

Mustapha disclosed that the association planned to explore the sites, with stakeholders, during the NATOP Annual General Meeting (AGM), which will hold in July in the state.

Some of the sites include Idanre Hills, Araromi Beach, Nibanola Farms, a 500-acre land with a hotel overlooking a lake, and La Campagne Tropicana Hills.

“We went to do a familiarisation trip; we went around to see some of the venues where we are going to be using.

“We want to identify some products, and tell the people in charge to see how they can improve it; how they can make it very habitable for us to sell.

“It’s a mind-blowing thing for me that we can have this kind of thing.

“We had breakfast on a very beautiful hill on top of the mountain. It’s just amazing,” she said.

Mustapha, however noted that the operators had found some challenges while promoting tourism destinations.

Some of the challenges, she said, included lack of innovation, inflation, multiple taxation, security among others.

She urged the government to collaborate with stakeholders to ensure that the products are sold.

She further urged Nigerians to patronise the sites, and not wait for only holidays to travel.

Also, the General Secretary of NATOP, Otunba Michael Balogun, said collaboration among stakeholders in the industry was very important because tourism could not thrive in isolation.

Balogun, who is also the Chief Operating Officer of Tour2Nigeria, said apart from collaboration, there was also a need to change the narrative put out about the nation.

Decrying the negative narratives about the nation, and citing countries such as U.S. and South Africa, Balogun said their crime rates was not projected in the media as it is.

He said Africa should no longer be regarded as just a continent but a voice, vision and heritage that needed to be sold.

According the him, a lot of development is ongoing in the country that is not projected to the public.

“If it’s about infrastructure, we travel these roads, we see these things.

“The last time we went to Ondo,there was no construction going on, just for us to get on it again, a new road was being built.

“Which is a good thing because now the government is working,” he said.

He urged the government, particularly the media, to collaborate with stakeholders to sell Nigeria.

He further urged stakeholders, including hotels and resorts owners, airlines, and logistics companies, to give discounts to tour operators in order to reduce the cost of tour packages for tourists.

The President of ANJET, Mr Okorie Uguru, commended NATOP for its passion, efforts and sacrifice in pushing the narrative of Nigeria’s assets and potential.

He pledged the support of ANJET to echo the voice of operators by pushing positive narratives, both locally and internationally.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Folasade Adeniran