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By Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa.
The Chairman, Bayelsa State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Comrade Samuel Numonengi has called on the federal, states and local governments to pay adequate attention to tourism promotion and development.
Numonengi adding that the contributions of tourism to poverty reduction, efficiency and productivity can not be over emphasized just as he noted that it also have immense impact on several external economic factors which according to him has made the promotion of the sector an inevitable aspect of every nation’s economic growth.
He stated this at the inauguration ceremony of the Bayelsa State chapter executives of the Travel Writers Corps in his office at the Ernest Ikoli Press Centre, Yenagoa.
The council helmsman reiterated that in the contemporary era, tourism is one of the main directions of development of states and national economies, pointing out that with the development of the
tourism sector, the state and nation,would have significant improvement in revenue generation, thereby reducing the current alarming rate of unemployment.
While stressing the urgent need for government at all levels to formulate tourism promotion policies to market the numerous tourist potentials of the state to gain wider recognition, Comrade Numonengi lamented that there was little or no meaningful efforts being made to develop the sector at all levels of governments in the state, notwithstanding the huge foreign exchange earnings that tourism could bring to bear on their internally generated revenue profiles.
He added that Tourism development is not only the result of the industry activities, but that it needed concerted efforts of state actors and the private sectors, restating that the growth of interest towards any state on the international tourism market will be largely conditioned by the state’s tourism promotion policies.
He therefore enjoined the Bayelsa State Travel Writers Corps executive to partner the state ministry of culture and tourism in collaboration with the private sector to come up with modalities to promote the abundant tourism potentials in the state through their various media outfits.
The chairman of the state’s fourth estate of the realms stressed on the need to develop tourists sites in the state, such as the Oxbow Lake, Amassoma Seigbein fishing festival, Odi Ogoriba Uge festival, Okpoama, Koluama, Foropah, Ekeni ,Ezetu, Akassa and Agge beaches amongst several other attractions to enhance tourism in the state.
In his acceptance remarks, chairman of the Bayelsa State Travel Writers Corps, Mr Piriye Kiyaramo, noted that Bayelsa state, tagged the glory of all lands, is home to Oloibiri Well 1,the first oil well in West Africa which he noted was discovered in 1956,marking the beginning of the shift of Nigeria’s economic base from agriculture to oil and gas.
Kiyaramo stated that the oil-rich state is not only filled with oil wells, but has a very rich cultural heritage and biodiversity with amazing tourist attractions dotted across the entire landscape.
Other members of the newly inaugurated executive include, Mrs Pauline Onyibe, vice chairman, Aherhoke Okioma, secretary, Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Assistant secretary, Favour Kei, Treasurer, Mike Tayese, financial secretary, Ebiowei Lawal, PRO, Glory Edoni welfare officer and Benedict Owei, representative of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
