ASABA/Nigeria: Delta State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Lawrence Ejiofor, has reiterated the willingness and commitment of the state government in ensuring the continuation of inclusive growth through tourism development in the state.
The commissioner stated this during the World Tourism Day, marked at the premises of the Delta State Art Council in Asaba, the state capital.
He said that looking at this year’s theme, “Tourism for inclusive growth”, it was clear that Delta State was on the right track and in consonance with the goals of the United Nations World Tourism Organisations (UNWTO).
He stated that the state, within the available resources, had been able to aggressively identify, document, develop, promote and market various tourism assets and activities in various communities, bearing in mind the inclusion of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises which formed an integral part of the growth of the economy.
Ejiofor stressed that the Film Village and Leisure Park in the state were part of the modalities that had been put in place to ensure inclusive growth, adding that it would include the market woman and the professional in the day to day running, thereby giving room for everyone participate.
The World Tourism Day Celebration which is marked on the 27th of every year is geared towards fostering awareness among the International Communities on the social, cultural political and economic importance of Tourism towards addressing challenges outlined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
According to the UNWTO Secretary General, Zurab Pololikashvili, whose speech was read by the Permanent Secretary, Directorate of Culture and Tourism, Anagalaere Umukoro-Prest, “tourism is slowly restarting and as it does, it is important to make sure that nobody misses out. Growth must benefit every part of our diverse sector. From the biggest airline to the smallest family business, from the largest city to the smallest rural community.”
He emphasised that benefits of tourism could spread far beyond the tourism sector, stating that inclusive decisions made would be key to transforming the sector for the better as it would deliver tourism that was fair, greener and more resilient.
In line with the theme of inclusive growth, various sectors of the state were well represented, including Culture, Education and Arts to mention a few.
