The Nigerian Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed (photo), has revealed plans by the ministry to partner with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and CNN, to leverage on the Nigerian movie industry, Nollywood, to promote tourism in the country.

“Talks are at an advanced stage to forge a very strong and effective partnership to use our comparative advantage in film production, through Nollywood, to promote tourism in Nigeria. This is a path we have trodden before, but which we are sure will go a long way in making it possible for us to push tourism from the back-burner to the mainstream of the economy,” the Minister said at the Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Association of Tour Operators (NATOP) in Lagos.

According to Mohammed, this will help in “job creation, grow the economy, increase GDP, position Nigeria as an all-year-round tourism destination and establish a worthwhile, acceptable and recognizable image of the country among tourists.”

He urged the private sector to collaborate with the Federal Government in developing the tourism industry and provide the required skills, competences and element for growth and development.

As part of efforts to improve the country’s ranking on the Tourism Competitive Index of the World Travel and Tourism Council, the Minister noted that the government has formed a Presidential Council on the Ease of Doing Business.

Nigeria ranked 129 out of 136 economies studied in the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017 of World Economic Forum (WEF). The country was scored 2.8 out of the total of 7 score attainable.

Anita Fatunji