GOV. Godwin Obaseki of Edo says the State Government is seeking stronger ties with the Association of Hotel Proprietors in the state to boost tourism.

Obaseki stated this when he received members of the Board of Trustees of the association who paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, Benin on Tuesday.

The governor said that as more investments were being attracted to the state, there was need for its hospitality industry to also grow.

“The operation of the hospitality business is significantly impacted by the policies of the government, hence it is our decision to grow the industry; but we cannot do it alone, we need your support.

“We see a lot of business traffic in the state as a result of the on-going industrialisation drive by this administration and we see you as our biggest beneficiaries,’’ Obaseki said.

He said that his administration was working on a tourism master plan to make the state a tourist destination.

He noted that the hotelier association would also be at the benefiting end when some of the projections materialised.

The governor promised to address the taxation and security challenges being faced by players in the sector.

Earlier, the Chairman, Board of Trustees of Association of Hotel Proprietors of Edo, Mr Roland Osunde, said the association was in support of the development of the Benin River Port.

Osunde noted that the development of the port would boost economy of the state, including the tourism and hospitality sector.

He said that the association was a major player in the tourism sub-sector and employer of labour, with over 1700 hoteliers across the 18 local government areas of the state.

He listed multiple taxation, poor power supply, inadequate security and widening gap in the relationship between the state government and the association members as main challenges of the sector. (NAN)

– Sept. 11, 2018 @ 19:30 GMT |