NAN-ELS-7
Youths
By Collins Yakubu-hammer
Abuja, Sept. 19, 2016 (NAN) Mr Emmaunel Okon, a Tourism Expert and President, “Youth Tourism Development Organisation’’ has called on the Federal Government and other tourism stakeholders to encourage youths to appreciate tourism in the country.
Okon made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.
“The government should collaborate with serious minded youth tourism organisations that are registered and make conscious effort to ensure that youths are consciously carried along in tourism activities.
“Government should assist them morally, financially and materially to enable them put up programmes that would be attractive to the youth to actually get them involve in tourism activities.
“The private sector within the tourism industry like the hotels and airlines also needs to encourage the youth and youth’s organisations by giving them some concession.
“Hotels are very expensive in the country, but when hostels are built either by the government or private investors, it will help a lot to encourage the youth,’’ Okon said.
He stressed that hostels were facilities that could facilitate youth’s movement from one place to another to help them get involved in tourism activities.
“Unfortunately, we do not have any of such in this country.’’
He stressed the need for transport operators to make concerted efforts to encourage the youth to participate in tourism activities by subsidising the cost of fares from one tourist site to another.
Okon also urged hoteliers and airline operators to give concession to youths that were going on tourism adventure within the country.
“All these will encourage the youths into appreciating tourism and visiting different tourist sites within the country.
“By and large, government should collaborate with private sector including tourism youths organisations as being done in other countries.
“This can also encourage and boost local tourism within the country because we have large number of youths,’’ Okon said. (NAN)
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Edited by Ese E. Ekama