LASG, stakeholders, renew commitment to sell ‘best of Lagos’
By Oluwatope Lawanson
The Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and key stakeholders, have expressed willingness to fine-tune strategy that would showcase and sell “The Best of Lagos.”
The resolution was contained in a communiqué issued by participants at a two-day working summit organised by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, held at Ikeja, Lagos.
NAN reports that the communiqué was presented on Thursday, by Princess Adenike Adedoyin-Ajayi, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry at end of the summit theme: “The Best of Lagos”.
According to her, the summit resolved to sell ‘the Best of Lagos’ to potential tourists who are desirous of finding the best experience of entertainment, fun and relaxation and value for their money.
Other resolutions, according to her, included “Strengthening and improving on innovation by offering authentic, affordable experiences also having packages that meet the needs of potential local travelers will play a pivotal role in achieving our intention to reposition tourism activities in the state.
“To create tourism desks in all our local council areas where it will be easier for the ministry of tourism, arts and culture to take the inventory of the various tourism sites in these localities and put in place necessary plans and provisions for them towards developing domestic tourism.
“The summit should hold quarterly in the five divisions of the State, driven by stakeholders because it has proved to be a veritable platform for cross fertilization of ideas and the development of Lagos State’s position on tourism growth and development;
“In view of the crucial role and contributions of Lagos State Tourism as the third most visited tourism city in Africa, it is essential for all the tourism stakeholders to collaborate with the ministry in order to make Lagos a choice destination for tourists,” she said
She said that the summit also resolved to explore community-based tourism by focusing on the culture, festivals, heritage and further explore tourism sites to attract more tourists.
Adedoyin-Ajayi added that summit agreed that the State Government’s focus on tourism infrastructure would be the quickest way to enhance the development and sustainability of domestic tourism.
She said that summit also resolved to reinforce what Lagos residents already see and scale them up such as entertainment, weddings, `owambe’ of all kinds, night outs, beach activities and religious holiday activities among others.
“The focus on domestic tourism should expand the leisure economy, recognising that residents within the state also require leisure activities which in turn can then be made available to visitors and tourists visiting Lagos State.
“In an attempt to convert 20 million Lagosians into tourists, we need to draw a new picture, open new vistas and reintroduce Lagosians to the real Lagos in order to change the narrative and retell the story of Lagos.
“We need to take advantage of 20 million prospects in order to boost Lagos economy thus making tourism one of the major contributors to the revenue generation and GDP growth.
“We need to explore Eco-lodges, Luxury Beach Resorts, Water sports activities to enhance domestic tourism in all the divisions,” she said were parts of the resolutions.
According to her, another resolution was to make conscious and deliberate efforts to grow clusters in Lagos, identify the demographics that are suitable for each cluster.
She said that the summit also resolved to package ‘daycations and staycations’ for each cluster and market to all the 20 million people of Lagos.
The permanent secretary said that the summit agreed to make Lagos attractive for investment and connect with long term capital for long term investment needs.
Adedoyin-Ajayi said that the summit also passed a resolution demanding all stakeholders to start working with schools, universities, organisations and also ensure that deliveries present rich story lines that connect people with Lagos, its history, its potentials and how people fit into all of this.
“It is time for more harmonisation and deepening of partnership relationships. Stakeholders should focus on the budget/economy and mid -scale segments – pricing as a key issue.
“Stakeholders should leverage on the strong educational opportunity embedded within tourism in order to expand our horizons and enhance our quality of life from the supply side of the industry;
“We need to spend more on harmonizing the entire tourism sub sector to achieve a robust tourism destination for ultimate tourist experience,” she added.
Adedoyin-Ajayi said that participants at the summit included relevant stakeholders from Lagos House of Assembly Committee on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Commissioner, Special Adviser, Permanent Secretary, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor.
Others included Management Staff of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria, Lagos Chapter (FTAN) Hotel Owners and Managers Association of Lagos, (HOMAL) Tour Operators, Tour Guides, Lagos State Boat Operators, Beach Resort and leisure owners and Tourism Practitioners.
She said that the summit witnessed presentations from Amb. Ikechi Uko, organiser Akwaaba Africa Travel Market on The best of Lagos and Dr Adun Okupe, Tourism Consultant, Red Clay Tourism Advisory and Faculty, Strategy Lagos Business School on Harnessing the transformative potential of sustainable tourism.
(NAN)
