The Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, Mrs. Sally Mbanefo who assumed office 10 months back has officially revealed her three-pronged approach aimed at developing the domestic tourism among Nigerians.
With little time; this initiative has started yielding a target result as MTN, the largest communication industry in the country is ready to partner with the corporation.
The strategic imperatives, according to the NTDC boss include, rebuilding the NTDC, growing the tourism value chain and re-inventing Nigeria’s tourism.
Speaking on Tuesday, 25th March, 2014 in Abuja during a courtesy visit made by MTN Nigeria, the DG highlighted all her strive to drive the domestic tourism to generate wealth and creation of employment to Nigerians.
It will be recalled that since her inception as DG of the Corporation, reports indicate that Mbanefo was in more than 12 states, advocating visits where she met with traditional rulers, private entities as well as government officials to preach gospel of domestic tourism.
According to her, strategic imperative is to grow the tourism value chain as a significant contribution to job creation, poverty reduction and revenues that seek to exploit the regulatory provision of the law establishing NTDC to grow revenues, partner with private and development finance sector financiers and investors.
“The strategy is also expected to create funds to enhance the physical and information infrastructure supporting the tourism value chain, exploit image right, create commercially viable events and media properties around tourism sites and re-energize, market and defend ‘Brand Nigeria’ on traditional media, physical channels, brand touch-points and cyberspace to attract domestic and foreign tourists.
“We have signed MOU over 10 companies such as Arik Airline, Heritage Bank, Gambia, Nigeria Turkish Chamber of Commerce, ABC Transport, VISA Reddinton amongst others in the country to grow the tourism value chain for job creation and revenue generation”, she said.
Mbanefo, therefore, encouraged the Nigeria Nollywood actors to locate any of Nigeria site to shoot their movies so that that would go a long way in projecting the good image of this country.
In his own remark, the MTN Senior Marketing Relations Corporate Service Division, Mr. Austin Iyashere, who was elated about the giant stride taken by the Mbanefo led administration pledged to do all within his power to help the corporation in terms of collaboration for the benefit of entire country.
“This partnership will not only be for the benefit of institutions (NTDC) but for the benefit of individuals who associate themselves with this corporation.”
“I am aware of what tourism can do for this country, in terms of wealth creation, in terms of revenue generation. I think with all these programmes embarked upon, you have opened the door for a change that will impact on the life of people generally”.
He, therefore, enjoined the Corporation to package and present a programme to the marketing executive MTN Nigeria regarding the project they can do together and how the NTDC wants MTN to impact the society.
“This is a marketing thing, I need to put it like this, that you will need to package a presentation for marketing Executive MTN Nigeria and what I will do is to facilitate that meeting for you, I will engage the executive regarding the thing we can do together to impact the society.” He assured.