In the face of the dwindling oil prices, and stunted economic growth afecting the country, a travel, tourism expert and publisher of African Travel Quarterly Magazine (ATQ), Mr Ikechi Uko has once again called on the federal government to revise, update and implement the recommendations of the Tourism Development MasterPlan.

Uko in his presentation as the Keynote speaker at the recent Annual General Meeting, AGM of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies, NANTA held in Ibadan on the topic, The Tourism Masterplan and Sustainable Tourism Policy: The Low Hanging Fruits, stressed the need for the tourism authorities to develop clusters of resorts in five climatic regions, including the enhancement of human capacity and capabilities.

Uko added that the Masterplan which was a brilliant document was sabotaged by two assumptions and a fraudulent cluster allocation.

According to Uko, the biggest obstacle to the Masterplan was that of clusters, Nigeria has six geo-political zone but the Masterplan devised five clusters instead of building around existing tourist attractions, they cited the Western Atlantic cluster around a yet to be built petrochemical complex at Olokola in Ogun state.

“There was curiously no cluster in the South-Eastern Nigeria. Benin and Oshogbo were merged with Olokola. Middlebelt was clustered around Farin Ruwa Waterfall, but every Nigerian knows the Jos town, Assop Waterfall and Gurara Falls presented better options”, he said.

Uko who has carved a niche for himself in travel and tourism in Africa and beyound also called for the promotion and development of varied tourism products and the review of existing tourism legislations to eliminate the overlapping functions in the industry.

He emphasised the need for the authorities to develop pro-active safety and security strategy to enhance tourists safety and
immediately establish the Tourism Satellite Account as a way of measuring performance in the sector.

He also called for the Posting of tourism officers to Nigerian embassies to facilitate visa processing procedures, including to professionalize and certify the arts of management in hospitality and tourism enterprises.

Other areas he called for attention in tourism include, to strengthen the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation through better funding and capacity building of staff and to vigorously pursue the implementation of the Tourism Development Master Plan.
The ATQ publisher also stressed the need to revive the Presidential Committee on Tourism (PCT) to chart a new path for tourism in Nigeria.
He observed that tourism is scattered in many ministries namely: Immigration which is in internal affairs; Aviation under transport; National Park which is in Environment; Waterways which is in Transport; Culture which is under Information and the River Basin Authorities under Water Resources.

Uko explained that PCT is to bring all together for inter- dependency meetings.

He noted that major steps has been taken to improve the sector in recent times, like placing the sector as one of the centre-piece for economic development.

Uko who is one of the promoters of team Africa (a team committed to identifying and promoting the tourism wonders of Africa) observed that the development is in line with global trend where most countries have turned to culture and tourism as part of their development agenda.

He explained that it is in realisation of this that government in recent time took steps to review the existing policy document, including the review of the existing culture policy document of 1988 and the introduction of a National Tourism Policy.

He emphasised that the policy sought for the establishment of the Presidential Council, on Tourism which is chaired by the President, establishment of National Committee on Oral and Intangible Culture Heritage, chaired by the Minister of Culture and Tourism, introduction of Stake holders’ Forum on National Council on Culture and Tourism.

Uko explained that under Jonathan there was no vision or target setting and no implementation of the Masterplan or V202020, as Supreme Court judgment of July 2012 finally buried tourism in Nigeria.

He said today government effort at tourism promotion is at its lowest ebb comparable to what it was in 1996 before the arrival of Aiyegboyin Alabi as DG of NTDC.

He noted that Obasanjo has been and is still the best thing that has ever happened to tourism in Nigeria, because he created the ministry and put money in it, set up PCT and constituted a Masterplan committee involving the best brains in tourism, Dr Onuoha, Matts Ebo DaSilva and Dr. Franklin Adejuwon.

The tourism expert listed the recommendations of the Vision 202020 to include: Visa on arrival, Sports Tourism, Entertainment, Cultural Tourism.