The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said that it is imperative for the United Nations World Tourism Organization(UNWTO) to support Africa with a ‘Marshall Plan’ in terms of technical assistance, capacity building and grants.
Alhaji Lai Mohammed called for the ‘Marshall Plan’ to aid the recovery of the Travel and Tourism Sector in Africa, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic that has hit the sector very hard.
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He said the fastest way for the Travel and Tourism Sector in Africa to recover from the effects of the pandemic is to focus on domestic and intra-Africa tourism.
Alhaji Mohammed stated this during the 63rd Meeting of the UNWTO Regional Commission for Africa (CAF), hosted virtually by Seychelles on Monday, a statement by his ministry said.
He said following the outbreak of the pandemic, the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture had to act quickly, because the impact of the pandemic has been particularly devastating, due to its importance and relevance to the national economy.
”The Travel and Tourism sector and indeed the entire Nigeria Creative Industry is large, diverse, dynamic and critical for economic growth,development and diversification.
“It is the biggest creator of jobs after agriculture. Also, the Industry contributes between 2.5 and 3%to the nation’s GDP,” he said.
