- The meeting focused on the monitoring and evaluation mechanism of ECOTOUR 19-29 and the ECOWAS Tourism Accommodation regulator in Abuja
The Federal Government of Nigeria has called for cooperation among ECOWAS member states to develop the tourism industry and enhance competitiveness with other regions.
This appeal was made by Folorunsho Coker, Director-General of the National Tourism Agency, during the opening ceremony of a meeting of experts and stakeholders in the private tourism sector.
The meeting focused on the monitoring and evaluation mechanism of ECOTOUR 19-29 and the ECOWAS Tourism Accommodation regulator in Abuja.
“It’s the season to collaborate not to compete,” he said, adding that: “It’s in the spirit of collaboration that we will grow pan-African tourism.”
“I want to encourage the localisation of policies”, he added, stressing that policies would only be successful when localised.
Mr Coker also advised that all the regulations in the region be streamlined into one that will guide activities in the tourism sector across the 15 ECOWAS member states.
Besides, he advocated for the training of tourism operators in the region as well as the introduction of technology in tourism.
“We must embrace technology or it will leave us behind,” he said.
Speaking earlier, Massandjé Toure-Liste, the Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture of the ECOWAS Commission, said the meeting drew aspiration from the ECOTOUR 19-29 action plan, adopted by the Authority of Heads of State and Government which was designed to serve as a roadmap for promoting responsible tourism.
The meeting is expected to end on Friday 17th May, 2024.