The
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has called on
the D-8 Organisation for Economic Development to liberalise the
issuance of visas as a deliberate policy to boost tourism among member
states.
The
Minister made the call on the heels of the resolve by the D-8 to
prioritise tourism development among its members as outlined by the
Secretary General, Dr. Seyed Mousavi, during a courtesy visit to the
Minister in Abuja on Wednesday.
“I
think one area that the D-8 must work on and, if they really want to
succeed, they must make sure that there is no barrier in terms of visa
among these eight countries. You cannot grow trade, talk less of
tourism, if there is visa restriction. It’s the free movement of people
that will guarantee the free movement of trade,” he said.
Alhaji
Mohammed observed that it was not by coincidence that the countries
with the highest traffic of tourists are those whose visas are least
difficult to access.
He
told the D-8 Secretary General that the present administration is
committed to harnessing the potentials in the tourism sector in the
renewed drive to diversify the nation’s economy.
The
Minister, however, identified the dearth of infrastructure, access to
tourism sites, preservation and conservation of cultural heritages,
perception and failure to involve the locals in the tourism economy as
some of the challenges confronting the development of tourism in
Nigeria.
Alhaji
Mohammed therefore stressed the need for D-8 member states with similar
challenges to close ranks in order to make the economic bloc a tourist
destination.
“Until
and when nations with similar histories, problems and identical
aspirations start working together, they will not be able to achieve
their potentials. That is why I believe that the D-8 is a very good
initiative,” he said.
The
Minister urged the D-8 to look at tourism beyond sight-seeing and
relaxation, but consider it as a veritable tool for political and
economic empowerment.
Earlier,
the Secretary General said the organization is doing a lot to integrate
its people, governments and economies in order to promote the
prosperity of member states.
He
said the D-8 had been actively involved in the development of
agriculture, trade, industry, energy and transportation but it recently
resolved to delve into tourism because of its huge potentials for the
economic development of member states.
The D-8 member countries are Nigeria, Egypt, Malaysia, Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Turkey.
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