Sustainable Tourism Cross River A road winds through the mountains in Cross River State in southeastern Nigeria.landmarks
An elephant pictured at the Cross River State National Park in southeastern Nigeria.

The Cross River Government says it plans to make the state a tourism destination by generating N1.7 billion from the sector annually as part of effort to boost the state’s economy.

The managing director of the State Tourism Bureau, Clement Umina, said this on Wednesday, September 27, 2017 at the celebration of the 2017 World Tourism Day in Calabar.

Mr. Umina said that the state could generate as much as N1.7 billion annually, through the industry, from one million tourists being envisaged to visit the state yearly.

He said that the state government was partnering with relevant stakeholders in the tourism industry in the state to achieve the target.

Professor Ben Ayade, the governor of Cross River State
Professor Ben Ayade, the governor of Cross River State

“As a tourism destination, the state could generate as much as N1.7 billion annually through the industry,” he said.

“We have set a target of one million tourists to come to Cross River yearly and we are discussing with stakeholders in the Tourism and Hospitality industry to ensure that this is realised.

“As a government, ours is to create the enabling environment for the industry to thrive and once this is done, we take-off from there.’’

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Eric Anderson, described tourism as the driving force of Cross River’s economy.

Mr. Anderson said that the theme of this year’s celebration, “Sustainable Tourism-a tool For Development,’’ was very important.

Cross River
Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State | Cross River Watch

He said, “When we say tourism, we are talking about a phenomenon of major importance that relates to involvement capacity.

“We are talking about the number of people; travelers and workers and the many benefits-social, cultural economic and spiritual- that it can bring to society.’’

He described Cross River as the tourism capital of Nigeria, adding that the state had played a very significant role in the tourism destination of the country.

“Nature has embellished and positioned our state as a melting pot of unique, fascinating and enhancing people with great sights, sound and historic relevance in the global destination market,” Mr. Anderson said.

“From ancient practice to modern day activities, Cross River defines tourism, being the tourism capital of the nation.”

Contributing, the Chairman of Cross River Hoteliers Association, Charles Ogar, said that apart from government, hospitality industry was the largest employers of labour in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the United Nations has sets September 27 every year for the celebration of World Tourism Day to sustain the growth and development of tourism globally.

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