Recently, the Lagos chapter of Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria (ITPN) hosted the second edition of its yearly Lagos Tourism Roundtable.
Held on Thursday, November 23, 2023, it had as theme: ‘Diaspora Tourism: An Untapped Niche in Lagos State.’
The event had in attendance, National President, ITPN, Chief Abiodun Odunsanwo; Vice President, ITPN South-West, Otunba Ayo Olumoko; Chairman of La’Campagne Tropicana and Beach Resort, Chief Olawanle Akinboboye; Organiser of Awori Day, Prince Fadina; Nneka Metche of Goge Africa, representative of Nigeria Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri and members of ITPN Lagos chapter.
The basic objectives of the Lagos Roundtable is to put the Lagos tourism in both public and private sectors, back on track with the view to consolidating the industry’s position in the state and to re-engineer a new direction and trajectory said Mesewaku Chairman, Organising committee.
According to him, “the roundtable is basically to complement government’s efforts by putting up conferences seminars, capacity building programme, summits and related programmes where the public and the private sectors converge to launch ideas, review, reassess and reconstruct interactioms and relationship for a sustainable development in the tourism and hospitality sector.”
Mesewaku said diaspora tourism is the future, especially along the West coast of Africa of which Nigeria occupies very strong position.
When Ghana launched the year of return in 2019, the sector made $3.312 billion and international tourists’ arrival rose to 1.13 million.
Mesewaku said Ghana’s creative industry has experienced a boom encouraging and engaging more Ghanaian youths productively. Today, a lot of these African descents in Diaspora have finally relocated to Ghana, “contributing significantly to socio economic development and cultural dynamics of Ghana.”
He highlighted seven points why diaspora tourism is essential to the Lagos government.They include, being a niche product among the countries of the Coast of West Africa, Diaspora tourism is money spinning, it stimulates the local economy and increases the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and has potential to open Lagos to Direct Foreign Investment (FDI), among others.
Call it a timely re-awakening, a rich and robust intellectual engagement by seasoned professionals in the long-neglected tourism industry and you may not be far from the fact.
Akinboboye, who spoke on ‘Tourism: An Untapped Niche in Lagos State,’ raised the need for government to create enabling environment for Diaspora Tourism because that’s the future of tourism.
Akinboboye said Nigeria should take advantage of its diaspora community, as “no country in the world has ever developed without the diaspora. This is the reason why I came back and entered the bush at age 27. My aim was to begin the tourism revolution here in Nigeria and spread it across Africa. I, thereafter, established SET that stands for Security, Entertainment and Tourism and that, I’m sure, will revolutionise tourism in our continent.”
Lamenting the situation where Nigerian diaspora only send home funds that are purposely residual, he said Indian diaspora come home to add value to the economy. “They build industries, hotels, Information Technology and Communication firms and hospitals. India made it possible,” he said.
According to him, the Indian diaspora remitted over 100 billion dollars in 2022, compared with the 24 billon dollars remitted by about 17 million diasporan Nigerians.
He advised the diaspora community to always consider coming back home to add value. In his contribution, National President of the Institute, Odusanwo (FITPN), said diaspora tourism include those that reside abroad and those who were there but decided to relocate back home. Their experience, he said, was “the needed instrument for the growth of tourism.”
Earlier at the event, ITPN Lagos State’s chapter and main organising committee Chairman, Dr. Babatunde Olaide-Mesewaku (FITPN) described diaspora tourism as an unarguable “future of tourism along the West Coast of Africa of which Nigeria occupies very strong position”.
The National Vice President (South/West Zone), Otunba Ayo Olumoko (FITPN) commended the effort of the one-year old State chapter at sustaining the Lagos Tourism Roundtable discussion.
He said there is need for more programmes that will catalyse growth in the industry. The event saw the induction of new members.
Among the newly inducted members were the Heads of Tourism Units in all the 57 Lagos State Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas and many others within the tourism ecosystem.
