Tourism
By Maureen Okon
Abuja, June 7, 2018 (NAN) Elcia Grandcourt, Director Africa Department of the World Tourism Organisation, says that tourism in Africa will flourish with positive messages within the continent.
Grandcourt spoke with the New Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sideline of the just concluded 61st meeting of the UNWTO Commission for Africa and Technical Seminar for Tourism Statics in Abuja.
“Uniting the African continent is very important because I think there are a lot of things that are common around the continent.
“Even yesterday our CAF chairman explicitly mentioned that we are no longer talking about competition between countries because there is a share for everybody in the market place.
“Each and every country has its own different potential, natural asset that is a key attraction, so instead of competing, it is best to work together.
“Because the more you work together the stronger we are, and you could see this through the various regional blocks that exist today,’’ she said
She commended Nigeria for successfully hosting the meeting under a safe and secure environment.
“Nigeria is a country that is safe and secure because you need safety and security for tourism to prosper and today it is a testimony with these groups of ministers from the region.
“We convened here in Nigeria to participate in this very important meeting, but of course, there are other things like infrastructure and development that you need to have and they are the key ingredients.
“We are closely working also with the private sector which is very much needed in order to be able to develop the tourism sector.
“This will also help in contributing to the poverty alleviation of the county by creating of jobs,’’ she said.(NAN)
ETIM/ EAL
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Edited by Ekemini Ladejobi