The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has
called for cooperation among the various Ministries, Departments and
Agencies (MDAs) in the generation of relevant data that will assist in
making policies and planning decisions for the development of tourism
in Nigeria.
The Minister made in call in Abuja on Monday when he received the
Technical Consultant of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation
(UNWTO) on Tourism Statistics, Mr. David McEwen, on a courtesy visit
to his office.
Mr. McEwen is in Nigeria to meet with the various MDAs of government
with a view to developing a framework for the generation of data in
the nation’s tourism industry.
“Tourism, as an industry, and the other sectors are interdependent,
so it’s not by coincidence today that while Mr. McEwen is here, he is
going to interact with at least ten other parastatals or departments
and ministries, including the National Bureau of Statistics; the
Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation; the Nigeria Police Force;
the Central Bank of Nigeria; the Nigerian Immigration Service; the
National Park Service; the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria; the
Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria and the National
Population Commission and other bodies,” Alhaji Mohammed said.
He said the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, which
develops policies for the tourism industry, does not generate the data
required for policy formation and planning for the industry, hence the
need for cooperation and coordination of the relevant MDAs.
“The coordinating role of the ministry is of great importance and is
for us to ensure that we persuade and get the cooperation of all the
other different actors in the industry for us to be able to plan and
develop,” the Minister said.
According to him, most of the agencies that generate the data are not
under the purview of his ministry, but their input remains paramount
in order to develop tourism in Nigeria.
In his remarks, The Technical Consultant on Tourism Statistics of the
UNWTO, Mr. McEwen, said tourism is one sector that depends largely on
other sectors to succeed.
“I don’t think there is any industry that needs coordination and
cooperation like tourism. It’s one part of it that the airlines can’t
do without accommodation and the accommodation can’t do without the
airlines,” he said.
The UNWTO Consultant said from the experience he gathered from other
countries, statistics generated by other agencies and organs play a
vital role in attaining the objective of tourism development, hence
the need for the government to play a vital role in the development of
synergy for tourism to thrive in Nigeria.
Mr. McEwen said there will be a Technical Workshop on Tourism
Statistics for stakeholders on the way forward, during the UNWTO/CAF
Meeting to be hosted by Nigeria in Abuja in June.