GOVERNOR Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State on Wednesday said that the huge tourism potential inherent in Africa was grossly underutilised, and yet to be fully tapped and harnessed.

Ambode disclosed this in Lagos when he played host to 101 delegates from 34 countries attending the ongoing United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNTWO) in Nigeria.

According to Ambode, the least travelled tourism continent is Africa and there are destinations yet to be accessed.

“The least travelled tourism continent is Africa and, unfortunately, the next places and destinations are actually in Africa and they are yet to be discovered.

“As a result of this, anything that has to integrate and bind the continent together, that is where we should go because we are the next story,” he said.
The governor speaking on tourism potential described the state as a tourism hub.

Ambode assured the delegates that his administration was prepared to invest in tourism by creating tourism infrastructure with the kind of population and market that exist in Lagos.

“That is why you see that Lagos is now a construction site.’’

He said the ultimate goal was to ensure that infrastructure was provided so that people could come and spend their weekends in Lagos.

“ That will give us some other forms of revenue or taxes.

“There is a cycle of development that tourism thrives on; it drives the process and that is why we have continually supported anything that has to do with tourism,” the governor said.

He commended the organisers for choosing Lagos State as the host for their technical session.

Earlier, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said that the delegates were in Lagos on a technical visit.

According to Mohammed, a technical visit is a major part of the meeting and Lagos was chosen because of its foremost role in tourism in Nigeria.
He commended Ambode for his support toward the successful hosting of the meeting in Nigeria and also for positioning the state as a top tourism-hub in Nigeria and in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Also, Mr Zurab Pololikjashvili, the Secretary General, UNTWO, said that they were in Lagos to promote its tourism potential and also to promote it as a new tourism destination.

“We will ensure that Lagos becomes one of the most important cities in our strategic branding,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the delegates later proceeded on a technical visit to the Eko Atlantic City on Victoria Island. (NAN)

– Jun 6, 2018 @ 15:49 GMT |