NAN-H-42
Guides
By Taiye Baiyerohi
Lagos, Jan. 5, 2017 (NAN) Mr Louis Eriomala, the Director, National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) in Lagos, on Thursday urged the Federal Government to train more tour guides to groom domestic tourism.
Eriomala told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that tour guides were capable of advertising the nation’s tourist sites, while directing and soliciting tourists.
He said that the tour guides would take tourists to their preferred destination and enlighten them on tourism sites available in a particular area.
The director said that since the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) was collaborating with Nigeria to groom the nation’s domestic tourism, more tour guides should be trained.
He advised that the guides should be stationed at the airports where they would have access to visitors coming into the country.
“A tour guide is a person who guides tourists around a particular place that they are visiting and offers them relevant information about the place.
“So, the tour guide must be educated on all the tourism sites around the country, they need to be hospitable, and more.
“These guides must be able to interpret the natural heritage and cultural aspects of an area.
“So, in grooming domestic tourism, educated tour guides should also be groomed alongside,’’ Eriomala said.
He said that there were lots of foreign and local tourists who did not know that Nigeria was endowed with beautiful and natural tourist sites in spite of series of advertisements.
The director cited Lagos State as one whose tourism potential was being developed, saying that tour guides would be needed to take tourists to historical sites.
“Some of these sites are: the Point-of-No- Return, slave trade market, first story building, Lugard House, among others, all based in Badagry,’’ he said. (NAN)
PTB/COF/GOK
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Edited by Oluyinka Fadare/Olagoke Olatoye