Nigeria To Lift Tourism With Carnival

NIGERIA is set to showcase and fast track its tourism agenda, November through January, with carnivals in Abuja and Calabar. Already, the presidency has granted a campsite on the outskirts of the federal city to host the Abuja festival that will open the season in November.

Minister for Tourism and Culture, Chief Edem Duke, speaking in Johannesburg, South Africa last week, harped on the essence of broadening Nigeria’s tourism base as government is prepared to explore even undiscovered treasures to lift the industry. The Abuja carnival package, he assured, would be first of its kind in Africa for the whole of November while the Carnival Calabar will provide further fun for December.

The occasion was the launch of South Africa Tourism month to which Duke was invited by his South African counterpart, Marthinus Van Schalkwyk. The two ministers further reiterated cooperation agreement between both countries. Duke and Schalkwyk examined Africa’s potentials and highlighted need to boost intra-African tourism. For Duke, Africa’s abundant wildlife and alluring landscapes should be complemented with the dances.

Nigeria and South Africa also agreed to accelerate the implementation of the ‘Cooperation in the field of Tourism Agreement’ signed in 2008 to deepen tourism relations between both countries and in Africa.

The tourism bilateral agreement between South Africa and Nigeria covers interactions between tourism and travel trade officials; the exchange of tourism research; statistics and human resource development.

It also includes investment, exchange programmes, joint marketing, and establishment of a joint commission, entry formalities and environmental matters between the two countries.

Tourism Month is celebrated annually in South Africa every September and was officially launched this year at the Getaway Show on August 31, 2012, in Johannesburg

Speaking at the launch of Tourism Month, Duke stressed the need “to continue to forge partnerships and working relationships between Nigeria and South Africa to further boost and grow our tourism sectors to provide employment opportunities, as well as contribute a significant percentage to the economies of our dear nations.”

“Both Nigeria and South Africa have seen a tremendous partnership and significant engagements in areas such as telecommunications, media, tourism and aviation. This has led to more than US$3 billion in trade volume between South Africa and Nigeria. And there is further rich potential for both countries not only to maintain this mutual and symbiotic relationship, but to up the ante too,” he added.

In his key note address to declare the start of the Tourism Month celebrations, South African Tourism Minister, Marthinus Van Schalkwyk stated that  “South Africa’s relationship with Nigeria is one of deep friendship, a strong partnership and a united determination to grow tourist arrivals not only to the two destinations, but to the entire African region.”

Schalkwyk said: “Nigeria is a major growth market for our destination. We saw monumental tourist arrivals growth of 37.5 per cent from Nigeria in 2011 and arrivals from Nigeria grew a further 28.7 per cent in the first four months of this year.”

This year’s Tourism Month agenda focus intensely on encouraging South Africans to travel their own country and get a better understanding of the affordable and exciting leisure travel attractions available to them at their own doorstep.

Culled: Guardian