Insecurity bane of tourism industry in Nigeria

Mr Manfred Nzekwe, Special Adviser to the Enugu State Governor on Tourism, says insecurity is the bane of travel, hospitality and indeed tourism industry.

Nzekwe made the assertion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday.

He said undertaking travel by air, road and rail should be enjoyable, but expressed regrets that such travels in some parts of the country were now beset by doubts and fear.

“Travels and Tours service is a huge revenue earner for the nation, but the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria has caused serious harm and retarded the progress of the economy, especially in the Northeast geo-political zone.

He said guests in some hotels as well as visitors to some tourist attractions in some parts of the country now harbour a degree of apprehension due to insurgency.

According to him, providing an atmosphere that is conducive without compromising safety and security is one of the biggest challenges the hotels and tourist sites are facing today.

“Achieving these goals require robust plans that start with staff training and guest education about safety and security; constant proactive planning is a must especially where the hotels host public events.

“Our tourist attractions such as the Lake Chad National park, Sukur world heritage site, Hadejia Nguru Wet Lands and part of the Gashaka Gumti National parks are all affected by insurgency.

“Terrorism in whatever form, whether domestic, cross border or international, drastically affects the flow of tourists.’’

Nzekwe called on all Nigerians to be vigilant and to collaborate with security forces to ensure security of lives and property in the country.

“It is left to us to recognise that government alone cannot do everything for us; we must play our role to safeguard our tourism and hospitality industry if it must grow.’’