Some European tourism companies have expressed interest in exploring Nigeria’s tourism potential, Otunba Segun Runsewe, Director General of the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation has said.
Runsewe, who just returned from this year’s World Toursim Fair, held in Madrid, Spain, named Eventolicks, a world-class tour packaging company, based in Madrid, Spain as one firm that had indicated interest in exploring the abundant tourism opportunities in Nigeria.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos on Monday that the outfit was interested in “packaging tours to Nigeria for different categories of its clients’’.
Runsewe quoted Mr Javier Arambarri, the company’s representative at the fair, as describing Nigeria’s tourism potential as “great and attractive’’.
The Madrid fair, which was attended by 172 countries, brought together countries and private industry practitioners from all over the world.
The Director General, who reviewed activities at the fair, said that Nigeria’s participation opened a lot of opportunities for the country to sell its massive potential to European nations.
“Apart from the Spanish firm, many other companies have indicated interest in coming to Nigeria to explore the vast opportunities.
“We have been working towards bringing as many of them as possible, so that they will see the opportunities and select which area best suits their interests,’’ he said.
He said that tourism would play its role in the transformation agenda of the present administration to improve the economy, adding that the sector had the potential to rake in much funds, if effectively explored.
“What we are doing is to make our presence felt at such international fairs. We are happy that the efforts are bearing the desired fruits.
“And in line with the peace efforts in Plateau State between NTDC and the Office of the Chief of Defence Staff, I will suggest the State as a possible destination to Eventoclick,’’ he said.
He reiterated the need to invest more in the tourism sector, so as to open a vista of investment opportunities to improve the economy by diversifying to areas hitherto, left untapped.
“Tourism has become even more crucial with the need to show the rest of the world that Nigeria is not as bad as was painted. The country is ever ready to receive tourists from all over the world.’’
NAN reports that Africa’s representatives at the Madrid fair adopted a suggestion for an African Tourism Promotion Initiative (ATPI).
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