INTERVIEW WITH MR. OTUNBA SEGUN RUNSEWE , GENERAL DIRECTOR OF THE NIGERIAN TOURISM DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
Q1/ Nigeria is a big country with over 140 million people. Tourism is more and more considered as a very important area of economy development in most countries of the world today. It’s a sector employing many people and Nigeria is today starting focusing in the tourism development. Could you tell us the evolution of figures of tourism in Nigeria for the last 3 years?
A1/ In the last 1 and a half years, the tourism generated over 50 billion Naira. There are over 140 flights to Nigeria per week.
I think it is important to specify the different kind of tourists arriving in the country, indeed, there are social tourists, educational tourists and adventurers. We realized in the past that most people coming to the country do it for business purposes and we have to take this opportunity to show the fantastic tourist destinations we have to offer.
It is also important to know that many people have a wrong impression about Nigeria and they realize about it once they visit the country. That’s the reason why our strategy now is to invite people to come and visit Nigeria.
Q2/ 2009 was a terrible year for the economy all around the world and. The crisis affected all sectors but specially tourism. However, Africa was the only region where tourism grew by 4% in 2009. Is Nigeria prepared in terms of infrastructure to welcome more tourists in the future? How are you getting ready?
A2/ Nigeria being a country that is not totally dependent on the influx of international tourists, we were not affected by the global crisis to an important extent.
Tourism in Africa started to gain some kind of recognition 5 or 6 years ago and Nigeria can offer unique products right now. There are several untapped destinations within our country.
Q3/ Nigeria has neighbors offering very appealing touristic places, such as Cameroon. What does Nigeria unique? What can it offer to tourists?
A3/ Every country have its own strengths, a country like Kenya for instance is mainly focused in eco tourism but Nigeria is far beyond eco tourism. Nigeria can offer cultural tourism, sport tourism, business and conference tourism. Nigeria will make its population participate in all these niches with a sole goal, increasing our GDP.
Q4/ Security is a factor tourists are interested in when travelling. What can you say in that sense?
A4/ Every part of the world has its own challenges. Even here in Spain there was a bomb threat 2 days ago. What I’m trying to point out is that there can be insecurity anywhere in the world.
Concerning the violence in Nigeria, it is a very small community, and we are working on it, it is just a matter of time.
I can assure you Nigeria is very safe and I invite everybody to come visit us and enjoy the peace of nature.
There have been many American citizens working in Nigeria for several years and the benefit for them has been enormous. My message to Americans is that they should see Nigeria as one of their greatest partners in terms of trade development. Having said that, some international media gave the impression that Americans had a negative impression on us, which I believe is not correct. It is a problem of communication and thanks to media like yours we are trying to solve this problem and positioning Nigeria.
Q5/ Would you be interested in foreign companies going to Nigeria to invest?
A5/ If there is one country in Africa where you can invest your money, this country is Nigeria. There your return on investment will be very profitable. We are a big country with a large population. For instance, out of the 140 million Nigerians, 60 million are using GSM lines and that is the population of a whole country already. For any investor then, due to its population among other factors, Nigeria represents a great business opportunity.
Q6/ You are the Director of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation. What advice would you give to tourists?
A6/ Anyone who wants to come and visit Nigeria should contact the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation and get the information that will guide him. We are here to help people and we want visitors to enjoy their stay in our country.
Q7/ Could you give us some pictures about tourism in Nigeria?
A7/ As I told you at the beginning tourism generated over 50 billion Naira last year and we are expecting an increase of between 7,5 and 10% for the next 4 years. We hope that this increase will allow the country to create more jobs and to involve Nigerians in the tourism business.
Q8/ FITUR is one of the main tourist fares in the world and your country participates regularly. What do you expect from your participation in FITUR and what new products do you want to offer?
A8/ I pretend to “sell” Nigeria to all visitors, to make Nigeria more attractive and to give reasons why people should come to Nigeria. I will be very happy if we achieve this.
Q9/ Investour is an initiative of the World Tourism Organization, FITUR and Casa Africa to develop sustainable tourism in Africa and to promote touristic projects in Africa. How can Nigeria benefit from this forum?
A9/ Investour forum is an opportunity for all African countries to identify investors and we are preparing a report in that sense.
Q10/ We are always interested about the man behind the position. Could you tell our readers more about you?
A10/ I’m Nigerian and I’m very passionate about my country. I love sports, specially golf and tennis.
I also enjoy socializing because I believe one can’t build a network without socializing.
Q11/ What would be your last message?
A11/ I would like to use this unique opportunity to invite everybody to visit Nigeria. “Tourism is life” and through nature we can make the difference.
I think FITUR is a great opportunity to get more companies to invest in Nigeria, particularly in the tourism sector. I can assure that through partnerships we will get stronger and we will make our country a better place. |
