Culture remains Nigeria’s strongest tourism asset, says Runsewe, Ogbuewu

Former government officials and tourism experts have called on Nigerians, particularly tourism practitioners, to prioritise the rich cultural heritage as the key for reviving the nation’s tourism industry and cultural diversification.

Former Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, Segun Runsewe, told newsmen on the sidelines of an event on Thursday in Lagos that this is the time to take tourism and culture seriously.

Supreme news reports that the event was the Association of Nigerian Journalists and Writers of Tourism (ANJET) Conference and Awards.

The conference was with the theme, ‘The Role of International Hospitality Brands in the Growth of Nigerian Tourism and Economy.’

Runsewe said culture and tourism were the only secret remaining for Nigeria to make a difference in its economy.

He decried the lack of action in the industry in spite of decades of discussions, adding that Nigeria’s failure to link culture with tourism had hindered its progress.

“Some people are ignorant. They say culture is separate from tourism but can you cook a soup and remove all the ingredients?

“Culture is that ingredient that tourism takes to market and promotes,” he said.

Runsewe urged stakeholders including tourism practitioners, journalists and government agencies to end internal rivalries and focus on building sustainable tourism brands.

He also cautioned that tourism should not be viewed merely as travel but as a multifaceted industry capable of creating mass employment, if properly developed and sustained.

Also, former Nigerian Ambassador to Greece, Franklin Ogbuewu, told newsmen that if Nigeria planned on selling the nation’s cultural heritage globally, then there was a need to showcase culture.

Ogbuewu, who was also a former Minister of Tourism, said Nigeria’s culture was its unique selling point, that differentiates it from the rest of the world.

He emphasised that tourism practitioners must understand that culture is the main product they must have to be able to sell other packages.

“They want to come and see what it will be like here; not the skyscrapers they have more than us.

“They are coming here to see what makes us magic.

“Our culture. Those cultures that we have that make us proud, that’s what they want to see,” he said.

He cautioned against the lack of continuity of things that had previously worked for the industry.

Ogbuewu urged stakeholders, particularly governments to work on creating sustainability so that the industry could grow.

“The problem we have here is that continuity is not taken seriously at all.

“Whenever you get an appointment, try to continue from where the other person stopped. Continuity is important,” he said.