‘We can make billions of dollars from our beaches’
ACETNews
Director-General Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), Olayiwola Awakan, has pledged stronger collaboration with private-sector operators to develop Nigeria’s waterways and coastal tourism as part of efforts to make tourism a bigger contributor to economic diversification.
Awakan who spoke at a recent interaction with stakeholders in the waterways tourism sector in Abuja, said that Nigeria could unlock significant economic value from its beaches, waterways and other tourism assets.
He stressed that NTDA would work with relevant associations to improve safety on the waterways and create better tourism experiences around the country’s beaches and waterfront destinations.
He noted that Nigeria had spent years talking about its tourism potential without doing enough to convert it into tangible economic benefits.
“Intentionality is very key,” Awakan said, adding that the country must take strategic steps to move from identifying its tourism potential to developing and promoting it.
According to him, one of the most important steps is closer cooperation between government and the private sector because tourism is community-based and largely private-sector driven. He said the NTDA was working with the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria and other tourism bodies, as well as development partners and investors, to promote tourist destinations across the country.
Awakan identified Nigeria’s waterways and beaches as areas with significant room for development. “We can make billions of dollars from our beaches,” he said, adding that activities could be created around the waterways while water transport could also improve connections between states.
According to him, Nigeria needed to revive the culture of visiting and enjoying its beaches, noting that many Nigerians once had stronger connections with waterfront recreation.
“We need to resume back to that,” he said. The NTDA chief said the government’s responsibility was to provide the right policies and regulations while working with, rather than over-regulating, private-sector operators.
“From us as a government institution, what we need to do is to create the right policies, to create the right regulations, and to partner with the private sector for progress,” he said.
He linked the development of tourism to the Federal Government’s economic diversification agenda, arguing that a properly developed tourism sector could generate significant revenue and create opportunities beyond the oil economy.
He, however, acknowledged that transforming the sector would not happen immediately, describing it as a process that requires sustained commitment and collaboration among government, operators, investors and communities.