The Lagos State Government says it will soon unveil
its Tourism Master Plan to give direction to the development of tourism in the
state.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and
Culture, Mr Steve Ayorinde, made the disclosure at the official opening of 14th
edition of Akwaaba Travel and Tourism Fair in Lagos on Sunday.
Ayorinde, represented by the Permanent Secretary of
the ministry, Mr Femi Adeyemi, noted that tourism had become a major source of
revenue and employment in many countries.
He said: ”The Lagos State government hopes to leverage
on the unique opportunities provided by the expo to reach out to major tourism
stakeholders in the continent and market Lagos as a choice and must visit
destination in Africa and the world.
“Also, in a bid to have a document that gives
direction to our tourism development, the state government will be unveiling
the Lagos State Tourism Master plan later this month.
“This will help in giving legal backings to all our
efforts in developing the tourism sector of the state and making Lagos the
preferred destination for business, leisure and entertainment.”
The commissioner commended Mr Ikechi Uko, the
organiser of the three-day event, for his foresight and resilience in
sustaining the travel and tourism expo, which was endorsed by the United
Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
Also speaking, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, the Director
General, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), said Akwaaba had emerged
as the biggest travel and tourism fair in West Africa, attracting participation
of stakeholders from all over the world.
“Indeed, the annual travel and tourism fair has become
a veritable platform for stakeholders in the industry to meet, network and
exchange ideas on global best practices within the sector.
“Each edition of the fair comes with fresh and highly
innovative components that give the fair its unique and spectacular effects,”
Runsewe said.
He said that during the event, NCAC would be offering
free skill acquisition training on bead making, soap making , fabric painting
among others, adding that the participants would also be issued certificates.
Earlier, Uko expressed his appreciation to the people
that made the event a successful one.
He said that the idea of the fair was to bring the
world to Africa.
Source: pmnewsnigeria.com
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