NATOP declares commitment to market Destination Ondo

…Sets for AGM in Akure

The President of the National Association of Tour Operators (NATOP), Hajia Bolaji Mustapha disclosed the commitment of her Association to market and promote Ondo as a tourist destination. This is in addition to promoting other tourist attractions across the country, in its bid to deepen domestic tourism.

Mustapha said this as the special guest of the Association of Nigerian Journalists and Writers of Tourism’s (ANJET) interactive forum, ANJET Breakfast Meeting held recently at her Lagos office.

According to Mustapha, the desire to promote Destination Ondo was informed by the decision of NATOP executives to move the 2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM), a non-elective AGM, to Akure,  Ondo State.

She used the opportunity to thank the Ondo State Governor Mr Lucky Aiyedatewa for his support towards hosting the AGM. She said: “for decades now, we have been promoting this destination Nigeria. The effect is coming out now. People are beginning to see and understand those things that we are trying to put out.

‘‘For our own tenure now, I and the executives, we have been working very hard to identify new tourism sites, and promote them to the world, and also advise the government on how we can actually promote them so that people can have other places to go. We identify, and then we make it a product and put it out to the world.”

At the section attended by some other NATOP officials, which include; Mrs Doris Godson, Otunba Michael Balogun, General Secretary; and Mr Joy Oziegbe, she said NATOP executives had a meeting with the Governor and that he was enthusiastic towards the state hosting the tour operators.

She continued, “We went round to actually see some of the venues that we are going to be using.  We had gone to Ondo town on familiarisation trip as part of our tradition of visiting states to identify which state we are going to. We try to identify some products and tell the people in charge how they can improve these sites, and how they can make them viable for us to sell.

“We went to La Campagne Forest, Hills and Caves in Ondo town. It was Otunba Wanle Akinboboye that took us there. It was mind-blowing for me, having this kind of resort and for the first time having a breakfast on a very beautiful hill, on top of the mountain.

 

 

‘‘It is just amazing. That kind of thing, if we have it in South Africa, I am sure all of us will pay our way to go and see those amazing things. Why can’t we promote what we have?  Those are inspiring things for me, working with somebody like Akinboboye to project those types of projects.

‘‘Without NATOP, we won’t be able to see all these things. It helps us to see Nigeria and encourage Nigerians to move around the country.  Moving around, we realised that even as we are as Nigerians, we don’t know Nigeria. We don’t travel within Nigeria.  We need to start travelling within Nigeria. NATOP is really working very hard to make sure that Destination Nigeria and tourism within Nigeria grows beyond what it is.”

Mustapha said her Association is trying to work with state governments and other stakeholders to tell the Nigerian story correctly. “Let us project our positives to the world so that other people can see the positives about the country,’’ she said.

Speaking further on the tourism assets of Nigeria and the opportunities, the NATOP President added, “Recently, we came back from Akwa Ibom State, where we attended the FTAN Governing Council meeting; it was also an amazing thing out there. A lot is actually happening out there. Experiencing Ibom is a new package.

‘‘We actually need to experience Akwa Ibom. Experience Nigeria and all that we have, you start asking question why am I going to pay my way to go and look at one Sun City?

‘‘Akwa Ibom is another destination to sell. I will also add to it the Ilorin Durbar. It is coming up, and I am working with the committee chairman on that. There are some packages that I am selling and telling people to come and watch the event. It happens the third day after the Eid. The package is Explore Kwara: A thirst of Kwara with GET Centre. It will happen around that time. We need to start talking about all these things.”

Mustapha said promoting Nigeria as a tourist destination comes with its own challenges. She explained: “Some of these sites need to be developed and upgraded. That is why the government needs to work closely with the stakeholders.

‘‘The stakeholders are the ones liaising with the tourists. At the end of the day, when we go, we identify those products and we promote it.  You find out that when these places are upgraded, they exclude the input of stakeholders, which is one major issues that we have.  That is one of the things that the government needs to look into critically, working with the stakeholders in the industry.

“The people on ground need to also know about the business of tour operation and know that a tour operator is there for business.  They should not get the same rate as what anybody get.  It doesn’t work that way. There is nowhere in the world that you, the tour operator, pay an entrance fee with the guests you bring to the sites.

‘‘These are some of the things we are trying to educate those in charge of these sites, and even the hotel owners. Although some are beginning to understand that tour operators are actually the ones doing the job, and as such, let us give them some discount. Before, there is nothing like that.  We are hoping that we will get more people to work with us.”