The Rivers State governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi said the culture and tourism potential in the state if properly managed will make unemployment in the state a thing of the past.
Rt. Hon. Amaechi made the remark during the 1st Rivers State Tourism summit in the state organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism which took place over the weekend at the Rivers State House of Assembly Auditorium, Moscow Road, Port Harcourt.
Represented at the event by the Deputy Governor of State Engr. Tele Ikuru, he stated that there is the need to put all our cultural right together to generate income as it is done all over the world.
Culture and Tourism is a veritable tool for socio-cultural unity that can be exploitated positively.
Governor Amaechi stated that through the successful hosting of the Rivers State carnival a lot of people have benefited economically from the event because of their economic gain. The governor through Engr. Tele Ikuru said government will continue to support programmes that bring peace to the state and generate local economy. The chairman of the occasion Prof. E. J. Alagoa thanked the state government for deliberating on the issue of culture and tourism unite the people and showcase the cultural diversity of the people.
Earlier in his welcome address, the commissioner for culture and tourism Dr. Nabbs Imegwu stated that, the summit has provided the opportunity by the government, the chief regulator through the ministry of culture and tourism to interface with the relevant stakeholders in the tourism industry to brainstorm on the way forward.
Dr. Imegwu submitted that tourism offers a window through which visitor and investors discover other positive interests or investment opportunities in the state.
The culture and tourism commissioner suggested that if tourism is properly utilize it will generate a lot of employment and increase the revenue base of the state. He posited that, the state government’s physical and social infrastructural reform in the area of roads, schools and security is a deliberate policy to attract tourists to the state.
The Commissioner for Culture and Tourism commended the effort of the State government harmonizing taxes and levies with the aim of eliminating multiple taxation and checkmating the activities of touts as revenue agents.
It is worthy of mention that the ministry of Culture and Tourism has begun the electronic registration, classification and collection of relevant data and updates for hotels and other tourist facilities in the state with the aim of developing a poll of data base that will provide information to all relevant agencies, corporate organizations and visitors in the state.
Dr. Imegwu said today the tourism of Rivers State has improved greatly as Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi took a bold step to revitalize the tourism sector with the establishment of “CarniRiv” and the establishment Rivers State Tourism Development Agency and the legal framework to boost tourism industry in the state.
Some of the expectations at the summit were to identify sites and attraction for possible investment, to help reposition tourism in the state and to attract investment to the state.
Others who delivered papers were Dr. Sunny Mbazie: Media as an effective branding of Tourist attraction in Rivers State, Engr. Emeka Unachukwu: Sustainable Tourism: Securing our future, Dr. C.D. Chuku: Exploring Tourism potentials of Festival in Rivers State. Dr. G. B. Okon a lecturer of Mass communication were among the Rapporteurs, while same Deede Director General Rivers State Tourism Agency was in attendances. ###
Pius Dukor
