Stakeholders call for sustainable tourism plans

Stakeholders have called for sustainable tourism plans to protect natural and cultural resources, support local economies, and enhance visitor experiences while minimising environmental impact.

They made the call at a press briefing in commemoration of the World Tourism Day in Abuja on Saturday after a clean-up exercise at the Jabi Lake organised by the Eco Club, in collaboration with the Jabi Boat Club, Jabi Mall, and Jabi Park.

World Tourism Day is commemorated on September 27 to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political, and economic value.

World Tourism Day 2024, under the theme “Tourism and Peace”, highlights the vital role of the sector in fostering peace and understanding between nations and cultures and in supporting reconciliation processes.

Speaking at the briefing, the Creative Director of Hayche Network and Senior Special Adviser on Sustainable and Accessible Tourism to the Executive Director of Tourism Volunteer Network, Aisha Yusuf said there is a need for sustainable solutions for tourism in Nigeria.

“We are here to create awareness about our environment, and sustainable solutions. Everybody wants things that are already clean and proper, but how do we keep them sustainable? We are urging the government and every individual to come on board. Everyone sitting at this table right now is a volunteer. We are part of the tourism volunteer network and we are here to show and do our part With the little that we have. The little that we have is our time and our voice. And we are going to amplify it by talking about sustainable solutions.

“Jabi Lake is a known resort in Abuja. It is the go-to for everybody, and so many people benefit from this lake. We are urging every one of us as individuals that we should start with ourselves by cleaning our environment, the lake needs to be cleaned. But even apart from the intrusive plants and seaweed that take over the water body, we also have trash in the water. So that means that the trash didn’t just roll out from somebody’s house and roll down the road and find its way to the lake.  Somebody brought it here and discarded it inappropriately. So we urge everyone to start by owning it first and discarding our waste properly.

“Water is life and there’s no way we can survive as humans without water. Here at Jabi Lake, we are realising that it’s starting to come with foul smells and unpleasant sights. So, we are creating awareness now, and it will lead to advocacy visits.”

The Manager Director of Platinum X media, and organiser of Abuja I believe, Omoefe Tawiyah noted that tourism is the principal export for many societies.

“Tourism is key for growth, wealth, and job creation. Jabi Lake is a very significant tourist destination in the Federal Capital Territory. As they say, cleanliness is next to godliness. If this is properly cleaned up, it will be one of the destinations for tour guides and tourists to visit.

“So people will see and bring enormous tourism investments for the FCT. We know that a lot of people come here for picnics and relaxation, and couples come here to unwind, so there is a need for the clean-up.

“We are obliging partners, friends, well-wishers take it at heart and let’s collectively put every effort we can to make our society a great place,” he said.

On his part, the Executive Director of Tourism Volunteers Network, Phil Roberts said there’s a need to turn Abuja into a tourist centre.

“Like I said before, I see three things here. I see ocean tourism, I see marine tourism and infrastructure tourism. Infrastructure tourism has to do with putting all these places together because you cannot do tourism without putting the infrastructures together. The Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, has been doing so well in infrastructure tourism, and everyone in the department is working towards supporting and promoting what he’s doing in infrastructure tourism.

“Abuja has a lot of tourist sites. Our advocacy now is to turn those tourist sites into tourism destinations. What makes your site a destination is when all the facets of tourism are seen in it. Jabi Lake has all the characteristics that make a tourism destination possible, and this can be a three or four-star tourism destination from the map and the policy document of the FCT Tourism Department.

“So we want to see how we can encourage the FCT Tourism Department to see how they can put this in their tourism capital because I know the ministry is working on that. Now this is just one of our first points. I know that the Eco Club is also going to be looking at some other tourism destinations we have in Abuja,” he added.