In a bid to improve domestic tourism using road and rail infrastructure, Mrs. Lola Ade-John and Alhaji Said Alkali, Ministers of Tourism and Transport, respectively, are planning a joint committee.
A statement from the Ministry of Tourism on Wednesday said that Ade-John met with her counterpart in Abuja to share ideas on the available transport infrastructure in Nigeria and how Nigerian tour operators could tap into the existing facilities to grow their business.
According to the statement, the two agreed that a Joint Committee be set up, involving the Nigerian Tour Operators to evolve a workable framework to implement an effective domestic tourism project in the country.
Just last week, the minister engaged her counterpart in the Interior Ministry on easing visa access for African travelers coming to Nigeria.
She had reached out to the Minister and Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to resolve issues associated with visa on arrival.
The cost of a visa has been an obstacle to improved visits for tourists.
The statement expressed that the minister’s advocacy had been commended by event organizers.
Her emerging advocacy is the next phase of engagement with the industry, the statement said.
She spent the first part attending tourism events all over the country to know the stakeholders and listen to them.
Ade-John has attended more tourism events in one year than most tourism ministers did in four years.
She has promised to engage other interdependent ministries and departments to ease the challenges the stakeholders face as part of their business.
Source: The Independent
