WTD 2023: Edo Govt rallies stakeholders on heritage promotion, protection policy

Edo Government, on the occasion of the World Tourism Day (WTD) commemorated on September 27, 2023 globally, rallied industry stakeholders in the state’s tourism sector with a view to get their inputs on the recently drafted State Heritage Promotion and Protection Policy at Ogba Zoological Garden in Benin, Edo State.

The document was designed to set guidelines and implementation strategies for the conservation and promotion of the state’s tangible and intangible heritage materials, in line with efforts to make it a tourist destination of choice.

With this year’s theme tagged “Tourism and Green Investment” by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), the event featured stakeholders’ input in the recently drafted Edo State Heritage Promotion and Protection Policy, guided tours, workshops and highlighted some of the milestones recorded by the state government in the tourism space.

The State Commissioner for Arts, Culture, and Tourism, Uyi Oduwa Malaka said: “WTD is a day set aside by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) to foster awareness of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, and economic values to mankind. The theme for this year’s WTD celebration ‘Tourism and Green Investment’ emphasises the vital need for investment in building a tourism sector that delivers for people and the planet.”

She continued: “Tourism is a positive force of nature that helps to connect our heritage, historicity and our present. It connects culture civilisations and melts humanity into a common narrative of origins and experiences. This policy places robust emphasis on preservation, conservation and maintenance of our heritage sites and intangible heritage that is consistent with this year’s theme of green investment.”