…as govt calls on film makers to seize advantage of interest-free loans
By Moses Adeniyi
The Lagos State Government has disclosed that it’s Master policy document to revolutionise the Tourism sector in the State would be presented next month, June, 2021.
According to report gathered, the document would provide the pathway for the implementation of all Tourism, Arts and Culture related activities by the State Government for the next couple of years.
It was gathered the document has gone through scrutiny processes by relevant stakeholders in the industry including top management team of the State’s Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.
The objectives of the policy as gathered include among others; harnessing and developing the State’s tourism resources into different products of attraction for both inbound and outbound tourists; unleashing Lagos Tourism to the World through aggressive digital marketing and promotion; stimulating and encouraging creative Arts industry.
Others are to support and encourage the development of tourism initiatives by way of pro-poor tourism in the local Communities; incorporate and integrate stakeholders as critical partners in tourism planning and product development.
According to report gathered, the Master Plan will be driven by the Lagos Tourism Policy which is designed to develop Lagos Tourism as a sustainable mechanism that contributes to the quality of life of average Lagosians and ultimately make the State a preferred tourist destination in Africa.
Speaking on the Master Plan and Policy, the State’s Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Pharmacists Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, said with the masterplan, the State Government hope to lay the foundation for developing a comprehensive and sustainable Tourism strategy for the State which focuses on its rich culture and heritage, community development, heritage management, preservation and revenue generation.
The Commissioner who spoke on Monday, during the ongoing Annual Ministerial Briefing at the State Capital, Ikeja, to commemorate the second year of the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu led Administration in Office, said the document is one of the greatest achievements of the administration in the sector.
“With this Master Plan in place now, the era of haphazard development of tourism activities in the State is gone. There is now a structured guideline that must be followed for short, medium and long term tourism activities and projects,” she said.
She added that apart from this, some areas of tourism activities that have not been given attention before has now been captured in the Master Plan and this will engender all-round development of every aspect of tourism in the coming years.
On the assessment of the achievements of the Ministry in the last one year, it was gathered that the efforts of the Ministry centred on activities directed towards revitalising the sector; including approval of the constitution of a COVID-19 Pandemic Review Committee to review and assess the impact of the pandemic on the tourism sector in Lagos State.
Others are approval of the sum of N1billion by the Governor Sanwo-Olu as a single digit soft loans for the Tourism and Entertainment sector in the State to cushion the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on their businesses, and the approval of 50% rebating on Registration and Renewal fees for Hospitality and Tourism Establishments in Y2020.
Others include: Development of website and production of documentary and promotional videos, monitoring and enforcement of hospitality establishments; establishment of Lagos Creative industry initiatives; quarterly training of creative practitioners under LACI Initiative; and the establishment of a special interest-free loans for film makers as palliative.
Also on the list are constructions for the refurbishment of the four theatres constructed by the State Government in Epe, Badagry, Ikeja and Igando; the restoration of gloval memorial hall; discovery of new tourism potentials/heritage sites; the issuance of filming permit; and the establishment of Lagos film city.
Also were the approval of the launching of Community Based Tourism in 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Development Areas to promote Tourism Sustainability in Lagos and holding the world largest cupcakes mosaic in world history on the 1st of October, 2020.
Some entertainment events held during the period to set precedence on how events could be held amidst the pandemic without breaching any of the safety protocols of COVID-19 include: Digital Lagos Party; Lagos Ileya Virtual Concert; 12 Hours non- stop Independence Eve Day celebration; a hybrid version of the year 2020 World Tourism Day among other events.
Some events held in respect of endorsements and collaboration with private stakeholders include: The Nigerian Children Cultural Heritage, Felabration, Eebi Festival 2021, Go Culture, Afroculture, Odi Olowo Talent Hunts, Eko culture series, Y2021 Eko Wellness Fair for Practitioners and Wellness product providers.
Some policy actions within the period under review centred on policies to clamp-down on unregistered Tourism Establishments in Lagos State, Regulation, Classification & Standardisation of the Hospitality sector, among others.
In her briefing, the Commissioner mentioned that though the COVID-19 pandemic crumbled activities in the Tourism and Hospitality sectors, it however, present an opportunity to reset the sectors, “for the Ministry to demonstrate its commitment to actualizing its vision of making Lagos State the preferred destination for tourism, leisure and business in Nigeria, and in Africa.”
“It was a year that brought to stand-still all tourism and entertainment related activities. As a State we had our own share of inactivity in this sector occasioned by restriction on large gathering but in the midst of it all, we forged ahead and made remarkable achievements,” she added.
She mentioned that the State Government will continue to prioritise mutual relationship with stakeholders in th sector as well as continue to explore the opportunities of brainstorming with key influencers in the sector with a view to coming up with policies that would reflect the interest of government and the stakeholders.
Mentioning that several business-related activities associated with tourism, has tremendous potential of generating employment as well as earning foreign exchange, she said the State is making frantic efforts to benchmark Lagos State with top tourist countries of the world.
“Although this might take years to attain, but I am bold to say that the journey has started already,” she said.
She however called on film makers, movie producers and content creators among other stakeholders in the creative sector to take advantage of the intervention funds approved for film production purposes and also explore the windows of opportunities and free trainings provided by the present administration for creative practitioners.
According to the Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr. Solomon Bonu, the Council for Arts and Culture were engaged by different MDAs to provide entertainment and cultural performances at some government functions, including commissioning of some projects in different parts of the State within the period under review.
He mentioned that the Lagos State Council for Arts and Culture held the Y2020 edition of the Annual Arts and Crafts Skills Acquisition Workshop where hundreds of beneficiaries in craft and art-work making were trained free.
“The four-day event, tagged “Unlocking the Potential of the Innate Creativity for Sustainable Development”, was designed to equip participants for employability opportunities,” he said.
He added that through the initiative, the intention of government is to empower over 2.5 million youths through Arts and Crafts, adding that it is in addition to the provision of start-up credit facilities for them through the Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment.