The Federal Government has been told to ease its visa policy and issuance to foreigners to open up Nigeria as a tourist and business destination.
The government was specifically advised to take a cue from other African countries, especially those in East Africa, who have drastically waived stringent measures in visa issuance to boost their economies.
The Managing Director of Finchglow Travels, Ezekiel Ikotun, gave the advice yesterday in Lagos on the sidelines of the pre-PartnerPlus Connect (PPC) Live scheduled to hold in Port Harcourt on September 26.
Ikotun, in an interview with our correspondent, said that Rwanda was benefiting from opening up its environment after relaxing the visa rule for foreigners.
He also said that Kenya in 2024, emulated its fellow East African country by introducing the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), which has since been expunged about two months ago for an improved and new system.
According to him, with the new regime, travellers could reside in Kenya for up to two months without a visa.
He explained that for any country to open up its economy, aviation was an enabler.
The Finchglow boss explained that every country had its own peculiar challenge, but insisted that despite this, measures are put in place to create an enabling environment for all, including tourists and business organisations.
“The airline industry is very capital-intensive. Some countries actually start their own airlines because they want to provide linkages for people to travel from one point to another. Let me give you an example of Rwanda. When Rwanda first started, the mission was to provide and open up Rwanda as a tourist and business destination.
“They brought up a formula by which you can register a company with ease. Now, Rwanda has opened up as a business destination. The government went for that by relaxing the visa rule. Rwanda is one of the countries where you can travel to in Africa without a visa.
“And what have other East African countries like Kenya done? Kenya last year brought up the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) and about two months ago, the government removed that.
Speaking about the forthcoming PPC Live scheduled to be held in Port Harcourt, the B2B Manager, Finchglow Travels, Abiola Bakare, said that the event was organised as part of the company’s ongoing commitment to empowering trade partners and strengthening relationships with key stakeholders.
He noted that the previous editions of the programme brought together professionals, partners, and industry leaders from across the country, while no fewer than 25 new trade partners also registered to align with the travel consolidator company.
Bakare expressed that after the Port Harcourt event, the last edition of the programme in 2025 would hold in Abuja, in December, making it the second time it would be held in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in 2025.
