Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
Former spokesperson of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, has referred to as on the Rivers State authorities to prioritise tourism growth, describing the sector as a serious driver of financial development, employment technology, funding and internally generated income.
Sara-Igbe mentioned the state may unlock its huge tourism potential by creating its Atlantic shoreline, bettering entry roads to coastal communities and implementing insurance policies able to attracting buyers and guests.
He recognized Kula group, the Andoni space, Bonny, amongst others as areas with important tourism potential, noting that Rivers State’s intensive shoreline may change into a serious attraction for home and worldwide guests.
Speaking on the financial advantages of tourism, Sara-Igbe mentioned Rivers State may replicate the success of famend seashore locations world wide by creating its coastal property.
“Why is it Miami Beach? People travel all over the world to Miami to swim at the beach. The Caribbean islands attract people because of their beaches. We can develop all these within Nigeria, within Rivers State, and people will come,” he mentioned.
He harassed that the event of tourism infrastructure, notably roads linking coastal communities to main city centres, can be important to realising the sector’s potential.
“What we need is to build roads to these areas so people can go in and come out freely. As soon as we have that, there will be security, and other economies will grow,” he mentioned.
According to him, improved entry to vacationer locations would stimulate complementary financial actions, together with fishing, agriculture, oil and gas-related companies, and agro-allied industries.
He defined that tourism growth may appeal to companies, create jobs, broaden business actions and enhance authorities income by means of taxation.
Sara-Igbe additionally argued that creating the sector would assist scale back the focus of financial actions in Port Harcourt by encouraging the emergence of latest city and industrial centres throughout the state.
“We will not think of Port Harcourt as the only city. We should think of expanding into more cities and establishing more industries, so Rivers State can become a gloryland,” he mentioned.
The former PANDEF spokesperson mentioned tourism may present important employment alternatives for the state’s youthful inhabitants, whereas creating new revenue streams for native communities and small companies.
He argued that attracting guests from different components of Nigeria and the broader South-south area would stimulate demand for lodging, transportation, meals, leisure, handicrafts and different companies.
Beyond employment technology, he mentioned, the ensuing growth of enterprise actions would enhance the state’s income base and create alternatives for residents who had relocated to different business centres, notably Lagos, to return and spend money on Rivers State.
Sara-Igbe, nonetheless, emphasised that realising these advantages would require political will, efficient governance and constant insurance policies to assist tourism growth.
“We need the government’s will and policy to push tourism, because through tourism, we can better our economy,” he mentioned.
He described tourism as an vital element of a broader financial restructuring agenda for Rivers State, alongside agriculture and industrial growth.
“If you build the road to Kula and develop tourism, the land is there. Fishery will grow, tourism will grow, agriculture will grow, and so many things will happen. More people will come, businesses will grow, and the economy will grow,” he mentioned.
He maintained {that a} coordinated funding in tourism infrastructure and coastal growth may assist Rivers State diversify its economic system, strengthen group livelihoods and set up new engines of sustainable development.
