The Enugu State Government on Wednesday decried low publicity on tourism and entertainment sub-sectors of the state.
The General Manager of Enugu State Tourism Board, Chief Steve Odo, made the lamentation in Enugu during a parley with the media and the management of the board.
The meeting was tagged, “Interactive Session with the Media to Move the Frontiers of Tourism and Entertainment.’’
Odo noted that only with collective and concerted efforts by stakeholders, especially the media that the tourism and entertainment sub-sectors could move to greater height in the state.
According to him, the government needs the media as a critical stakeholder to showcase the wonderful gifts of nature and the entertainment potential of the state to the rest of the world.
The general manager said the state had a number of relaxation parks, with serene mangrove for people to come and relate with God-given nature within a peaceful and secured environment.
Odo said that the state is heavily endowed with virgin tourist sites waiting to be harnessed to create wealth and employment for thousands of youths.
“The state is richly endowed with natural resources such as hills, beaches, rivers, blue-deep lakes, fine waterfalls, caves and clean streams and springs (cold and hot) yearning for investment.
“These gifts of nature in their natural and virgin states are virtually found in many communities in the state.
“The tourism sites are: Ezeagu tourism complex; Udi range of hills – Milikin-Hill, Onyema-Hill etc; Awhum falls; Opi chain of eight lakes and Oji, Ajali, Duru, Ebonyi and Ezu Nmamu Rivers.
“We also have Nyaba, Akwuke and Ekulu beaches that can challenge any modern coastal beach anywhere in the world.
“Again, the Obinofia, Akpugoeze and Awa mangrove-tropical forests infested with bezier wild lives and the Odoro Achi hot lake to mention but a few.
“These eco-beauties are what nature presents to us that desire harnessing and massive publicity,’’ he said.
Odo noted that there were other historic landmarks that had been identified but not harnessed, such as the relics of Okpogho Oghe/Legga Nsukka iron smelting and the Ugwu-Uto Pyramid of Nsude among others.
“These landmarks have been dated over 3,000 years ago. This proves that technology existed here in the state even before the western countries,’’ he said.
Odo said that the state government had been desirous to build its diversification from oil dependent economy to tourism-based economy.