Tourism is the activity of people traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for leisure and pleasure.
It has become an
important sector that has an impact on development of a country’s economy.
It has thus become a
money spinner for many countries.
The benefits of
tourism include income generation and creation of jobs.
When tourists spend
their monies on goods and services, it can lead to creation of jobs.
Tourism is a major
source of employment, and also contributes to the Gross Domestic Product, GDP,
of the country.
Not only that, it
also provides financial support for the conservation of ecosystem and natural
resource management making the place more attractive and desirable to visitors.
To a large extent,
the tourism sector fosters integration and unity among the nations of the world
as well as generate foreign exchange.
Some of the tourist
sites in Nigeria are the Olumo Rock, Idanre Hills, the National Theatre, Yankari
Games Reserve, Old Oyo National Park, Olumirin Waterfalls, Obudu Cattle Ranch,
Osun Osogbo Groove, Ikogosi Warm Spring, Tinapa Resorts, Zuma Rock and Mambilla
Plateau.
Some countries such
as United States of America, France, China, United Kingdom, Italy, Turkey,
South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Kenya and Egypt are benefitting tremendously from
tourism.
However, a lot of
factors such as insecurity, inadequate infrastructure, poor road network,
crisis and conflicts among others have hindered the development of tourism in
the country.
For instance, a lot
of tourists have stayed away from visiting Nigeria in the last 3 years as a
result of insecurity ranging from insurgency to militancy.
The time has come
for the country to harness the potential in the tourism sector in order to
protect its culture and heritage.
To do this,
government at all levels should commit a lot of money to the development of the
tourism sector.
Also, federal
government needs to create a conducive environment so that visitors could be
attracted to the nation’s tourist sites.
The provision of
efficient transportation, stable power supply, water and telecommunications
will make Nigeria a tourism destination for foreign nationals.
Above all, there should be attitudinal change by states and local government to improve their Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, through tourism development thereby reducing dependence on federal allocation.
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