Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, the Director-General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), says the agency will acquire a 4.9 million dollar bio-metric data capturing machine for hotel staff in Nigeria.
Runsewe disclosed this at a meeting with members of the Hotel Owners Forum (HOFA) Abuja chapter, on Tuesday in Abuja.
He said the machine, which would be used for the introduction of bio-metric system in the hotel industry, would assist the industry in crime control.
Runsewe said each member of staff of the hotels would pay N1,000 to the agency to be registered for access to the data system.
“We are introducing bio-metric system of having the information of every staff working across the country in the hotel on a portal.
“The system will go a long way in reducing crime and unnecessary corruption in the industry and reposition it for better services.’’
He said NTDC and the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) would partner in the project expected to ensure proper service delivery to customers.
Runsewe said that the partnership would be a synergy of believing in the country and showcasing Nigeria to the international world.
“We believe very seriously that NTA has been able to come out with its own decoders with about 50 channels and five local channels.
“And we believe we must sell our local content. The foreigners who come to Nigeria want to have a taste of our local content and this decoder, Startimes, can help us sell Nigeria to the world.
“We have come out as a form of synergy to help the hospitality industry to make sure that it can give some values back to the guest and tourists that come to our country.?
“We are giving them this decoders free and six months subscription.’’??
Runsewe said that the agency was also partnering with NTA to have an entertainment channel where hotels would run advertisement at no cost.
Mr Onofiok Ekong, the President of HOFA, commended the NTDC for giving “something'' to the industry and partnering with the association for proper service delivery.
“This is the first time a government agency is coming up with something. The problem we have in the hotel industry is multiple taxation.
“All government agencies believe that hotel is where you can raise your internal revenue or increase your revenue, which is wrong.
“Most of this agencies have done nothing for us, all they know is to collect money for one thing or the other, but this is a government agency that behaves as if it is private by giving something back.’’
Ekong called on other government agencies to emulate NTDC. (NAN)