Suleiman Identifies Infrastructure, Positive Narratives As Key To Nigeria’s Tourism Industry Growth

<h4>&NewLine;Suleiman Identifies Infrastructure<&sol;h4>&NewLine;<p><strong><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;openlife&period;ng&sol;">OpenLife Nigeria<&sol;a><&sol;strong> reports that the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Sterling Bank Limited&comma; Mr&period; Abubakar Suleiman has identified the need to fix infrastructure&comma; promote positive narratives about Nigeria and advocacy by stakeholders as critical factors necessary for propelling the growth of Nigeria&&num;8217&semi;s tourism industry&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Mr&period; Suleiman made these remarks during Sterling Bank&&num;8217&semi;s observance of World Tourism Day in Lagos over the weekend&comma; held under the theme &&num;8220&semi;Tourism and Green Investments&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In his assessment&comma; Suleiman identified three primary impediments hindering the advancement of Nigeria&&num;8217&semi;s tourism sector&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Firstly&comma; he stressed that individuals interested in travelling for tourism must have essential amenities readily available&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Secondly&comma; he emphasised the importance of safeguarding tourists from any imperfections or deficiencies while simultaneously exposing them to inspiring aspects of the country&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Lastly&comma; he highlighted the critical role of stakeholders in advocating for an enabling environment for the tourism industry&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He said&comma; &&num;8220&semi;The way we portray our homeland is a powerful tool and the moment we begin highlighting its positive attributes&comma; tourists will be more inclined to visit&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Suleiman also stressed the necessity of comprehensive discussions among trusted parties to curate the entire journey for tourists&comma; from the moment they search for Nigeria on Google to their experiences at renowned destinations like Nike Arts Gallery and Olumo Rock&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In addition to Suleiman&&num;8217&semi;s insights&comma; Mrs&period; Toke Benson&comma; Commissioner of Tourism&comma; Arts and Culture in Lagos State&comma; expressed her commitment to collaborating with stakeholders to bolster the tourism sector in Lagos&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>She underscored the importance of promoting Nigeria&&num;8217&semi;s numerous tourist assets&comma; noting that the country possesses more attractions than some other nations&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>She expressed hope that Lagos would soon gain global recognition on platforms like CNN&comma; showcasing its rich cultural heritage&comma; music&comma; people and delectable cuisine&comma; which she deemed incomparable&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;vanguardngr&period;com&sol;">Rt&period; Hon&period; Adewale Egbedu&comma; Speaker of Osun State House of Assembly&comma; echoed a similar sentiment&comma; affirming the state government&&num;8217&semi;s readiness to partner with the private sector to harness the full potential of its tourism industry&period;<&sol;a><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He highlighted Osun State&&num;8217&semi;s status as home to some of Nigeria&&num;8217&semi;s most captivating tourist sites&period; The Speaker pledged to conduct rigorous oversight of the state&&num;8217&semi;s major tourist destinations and collaborate with the private sector to achieve desired outcomes in both the tourism and creative sectors&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Furthermore&comma; he encouraged private sector entities to engage with the legislature to establish relevant legal and institutional frameworks that would facilitate the execution of their ideas and initiatives&comma; ultimately contributing to a better understanding of the societies and communities in which they operate&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;