Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture, has revealed the benefits inherent in hosting a maiden global conference on Tourism and Creative Industry.
According to him, this is necessary to project Nigeria’s image as a safe and desirable destination for leisure and business.
Lai Mohammed made this assertion on Tuesday, June 14, in Abuja at the inauguration of the Planning Committee for the conference.
The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) granted Nigeria the hosting right for the inaugural edition of the Global Conference during the 64th meeting of the UNWTO Commission for Africa in Cape Verde in 2021.
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The theme of the conference is, “Linking Tourism, Culture and the Creative Industries: Pathways to Recovery and Inclusive Development”.
It is scheduled to take place at the National Theatre Complex, Iganmu, Lagos, under reconstruction, from November 14 to 16.
The minister said in addition to the socio-economic benefits of hosting the conference, it would provide the opportunity to showcase Nigeria’s tourism, culture and creative assets.
Lai Mohammed further opined the conference would also help Nigeria to consolidate its relationship with the UNWTO and its member states.
He stressed that the conference would help in the restart of travel and tourism in a safe and seamless manner after the unprecedented impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which resulted in a near collapse of the sector.
Lai Mohammed added that the conference would help the country to generate foreign exchange and create direct and indirect jobs as well as opportunities for training of public and private sector tourism officials.
The minister said Nigeria was given the right in recognition of the country’s rising profile in tourism, culture and the creative industries, not just in Africa but around the world.
Lai Mohammed stated;
The creative industries, which include arts and crafts, design, fashion, film, video, photography, music and performing arts, have taken a central role in Nigeria and boosted our tourism.
The Nigeria film industry, popularly known as Nollywood, has become a globally-recognised brand and the third largest movie industry in the world after Hollywood and Bollywood.
Our music industry, just like its movie counterpart, has also taken the world by storm, while our fashion industry is so huge that it is bigger than the movie and the music industries combined.
