The Federal government on Thursday called on the National Economic Summit Group (NESG) to provide measures that would develop tourism and hospitality sectors in Nigeria.

Dr Ifeoma Anyanwutaku, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture made the call during a webinar organised by NESG on: “Repositioning Nigeria’s Tourism and Hospitality Sectors for Sustainable Growth and Profitability”.

She advised the group to advise the government on the way forward by engaging relevant stakeholders in robust discussions on the issue.

According to her, such stakeholders should come from the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) and others.

She urged NESG to harp more on the review of the governing laws affecting the sectors.

"The NESG must work on establishing tourism development fund, establishment of a tourism convention bureau to attract international conferences.

"NESG should also work on creating tour guide companies, review some laws governing the sectors which were already at crossroads to facilitate the growth of the sectors,” she said

The Permanent Secretary urged the Federal Government to provide palliatives for operators in the sectors by way of endowment funds, stimulus packages, tax incentives and more.

She said this would serve as encouragement for the operators to continue in business, bearing in mind, the losses incurred during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"To move the industries forward, hoteliers are advised to reduce hotel charges during off seasons.

"Relevant government agencies must conduct quarterly inspections of all tourist attractions to ensure they are perpetually in the right state,” she said.

Anyanwutaku said the tourism and hospitality sectors remained undoubtedly the major catalysts in Nigerian economic recovery.

She said that the sectors had significant potential to provide new opportunities, huge employment and lots more.

"Due to the interference of COVID-19 pandemic, the country has been challenged to implement realistic approaches for effective utilisation of tourism potentials ,” she said.

Mrs Ngozi Ngoka, NESG’s Thematic Lead, Tourism and Hospitality Industries Thematic Group, said some of the objectives of the group was to resolve federal versus state regulations, particularly on licensing.

"One of our objectives is to exponentially grow the tourism and hospitality sectors so as to contribute up to 12 per cent to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2021.

"We are also to examine the issues of land, environment, security, peace and gender mainstreaming in relation to the development of the sectors,” she said.

Mrs Patricia Narai, Director, Domestic and Eco-tourism Promotion and Control, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, said that the Federal Government had put in measures to reposition the tourism and hospitality sectors.

Narai said some of the measures were the promotion of local attractions in some states, promotion of domestic tourism, publication of some hospitality and tourism textbooks to woo youths.

"We have designed some platforms for the encouragement of the use of digital technology, we have collaborated with the Nigeria Association of Zoos and Parks to discourage illegal poaching.

"We are also working with relevant agencies to discourage the falling down of trees,” she said.