Posted by Chester Morton / Thursday 19 July 2018 / No comments
The roles of public agencies in tourism in Nigeria
THE ROLES OF PUBLIC AGENCIES IN TOURISM
Introduction
The contribution of tourism to a national economy cannot be
gainsaid. In some countries of the world, tourism is almost turning into the
highest contributor to GDP and therefore other countries are following with
calculated policies and programmes to cash in, including Nigeria.
The federal government of Nigeria has over the years
established correspondent ministries and important public agencies to help the
country drive the agenda of diversifying the sources of income for the state, a
chunk of it to include tourism. Some of these public agencies include the Federal
Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, State Tourism Boards and
Local Government Tourism Committees. Other public agencies are the Nigerian
Tourism Development Corporation which is responsible for policy implementation,
National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism, responsible for Manpower
development and National Commission for Museums and Monuments responsible for
the preservation of heritages.
Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation
The Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National
Orientation was chipped off two previous federal ministries, these are the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture and the Federal Ministry of Commerce and Tourism.
It was established in 1999. It is responsible for promoting the cultural
heritage of the country. Some of the objectives of the ministry include, the
promotion of culture and tourism as a foreign exchange earner, positioning the
sector as a major employer of labour and the driver of rural development, to
mention but a few.
State Ministries of Tourism
Aside the Federal Ministry of Tourism, the various states
within the federation also have their respective tourism ministries charged
with the responsibility of developing the tourism sector within their
respective jurisdictions.
The Lagos State Ministry of Tourism and Inter-Governmental
Relations, for example, was set up to take care of policy development. It is also to
plan and implement the state’s policy on tourism. In other words, this ministry
is the driver of government plans and projections in the tourism sector of the
Lagos State economy
Local Government Tourism Committees
Further down at the Local Government level, committees or
boards have been set up to harness the tourism potentials of the states. In
Ekiti state, for instance, Local Government Tourism Committees have been inaugurated.
The main purpose of these committees is to identify and develop the tourism
potentials of the state.
OTHER PUBLIC AGENCIES
There are also other public agencies under the Ministry of
Tourism, Culture and Tourism that are charged to perform various roles within the
sector.
Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation
The Tourism Development Corporation came into existence in
1992. It started first as the Nigerian Tourist Association way back in 1962.
After its establishment in 1992, it was placed under the Ministry of Culture,
Tourism, and National Orientation. According to information available on their
official website, the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation’s main functions
are to plan, supervise, develop and market tourism in Nigeria. In other words,
it was charged with the responsibility of policy implementation.
National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism
The National Institute of Hospitality and Tourism, NIHOTOUR,
Nigeria was established in 1988 to train professionals for the tourism industry
in Nigeria. It was also to introduce post-graduate courses in the travel and tourism
and hospitality fields. In a nutshell, it is responsible for Manpower
development in the tourism sector.
National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO)
The National Institute for Cultural Orientation is another
relevant skills acquisition centre in Nigeria. It was established in 1993 as a
parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National
Orientation. As a training institute, NICO contribution to the tourism sector
is to train Cultural Officers, Motivators and Communicators in the cultural
realities, philosophy and practices of Nigeria. Its vision is to become the
leading cultural training institute in Nigeria.
National Commission for Museums and Monuments
The National Commission for Museums and Monuments was first
established by decree in 1977. With the re-introduction of liberal democracy in
Nigeria, that decree has since been replaced with an Act of Parliament, CAP 242
of 1990. The primary aim for the establishment of this Commission is to preserve
the rich cultural heritage of Nigeria for the people both living and yet to be
born. It is also present same to both local and international tourists to boost
tourism in Nigeria. As part of their functions, they collect and document the
cultural and natural heritages of Nigeria so that they can be conserved and
preserved. In museums dotted around various places in Nigeria, the commission
ensures that the heritages are presented to the public for both entertainment
and educational purposes.
The Rivers State Tourism Development Agency (RSTDA)
This is one of the State Government agencies in Nigeria. This one happens to be in Rivers State. This Tourism Development Agency was established in January of 2012. It primary aim is to stimulate responsible partnership in the sector, between local and international players so as to harness the potentials in the tourism sector in Rivers State. It also aspires to develop to measure up to global best practices.
SAMPLE QUESTION(S)
1. a. Identify six public agencies of tourism in Nigeria.
b. Highlight the
roles played by four of the public agencies listed above.
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