Skip to main content

NTDC Boss Expresses Concern On Dwindling Tourism Sector In Cross River

  


Mr Folorunsho Coker, Director General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) has expressed concern over the dwindling tourism sector in Cross River State.


Coker raised the concern at the opening of the Food Fashion and Art Exhibition entitled “Tour Nigeria,” organised by NTDC in collaboration with the Cross River Tourism Bureau at the Marina Resort, Calabar on Wednesday.


“Cross River’s hospitality was second to none in Nigeria, but suddenly in the last few years this industry has noticed a turn of event that has slowed it down. Tourism cannot and should not fail in Calabar.



The NTDC DG said that some people have blamed the downturn on the End SARS Protest, while others blame it on the economy but that the spirit of the people have remained and that NTDC was trying to revive it using the Tour Nigeria project.


“Cross River has always been the cradle of tourism in Nigeria, but the last three times I visited, I did not feel that fire, all of a sudden, tourism in the state took a slow turn.


“Calabar cannot fail in tourism and the entertainment industry but it is up to the residents to galvanise themselves to support and grow it.


“If you continue to wait for the government to come and do something such as this for you, it would take a long time because the government has too many responsibilities.


“I am going to commit myself further, every year, we would do something incrementally bigger in Cross River, especially in Calabar, especially at this Marina and especially at the island across to boost tourism,” he said.


Coker then appealed to residents of the state to use their phones to transfer positive images of Cross River adding that it was of the ways the negative composition the nation was suffering from could be reversed.


In his remarks, Mr Utsu Atsu, Managing Director of Cross River Tourism Bureau said launching the tour Nigeria project in Calabar would improve the tourism asset of the state.


He said that one of the things the bureau has been trying to do since 2021 was to diversify the tourism potentials of the state while concentrating on ecotourism.


“What NTDC has done here today has helped our tourism space; it has also improved the standard and efficiency of local businessmen and entrepreneurs at the Marina Resort.


“This will drive disposable income, allow the people to earn more and take care of their families, generally making the state better


"If we can replicate this across the state at different levels we would be doing quite a lot,” he maintained.


He said that they were poised to sustain the revival of tourism in the state by properly organising themselves to get the required fund from the Cross River Micro Finance Bank. 


The NTDC DG them promised to continue to do his best to promote toursim across the country.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Court Sets Aside Arrest, Remand, Wanted Declaration Against Hammed Tajudeen Akanbi

A Magistrate Court sitting in Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos, has set aside its earlier ex-parte order authorizing the arrest, remand, and “wanted” declaration of Hammed Tajudeen Akanbi, also known as Hammed Ajiran. The development follows the earlier declaration of Akanbi as wanted for alleged multiple murder by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Moshood Olorundare Jimoh, on February 19, 2026. However, in a ruling delivered today, Magistrate L.A. Owolabi of Magistrate Court 3 nullified the ex-parte order initially granted on February 16, 2026. In his decision, Magistrate Owolabi held that the order was obtained through the concealment of material facts. The court specifically noted that the counsel who filed and argued the application, Nosa Watson Uhumwangho, was under suspension by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee at the time and therefore lacked the right of audience before the court. The ruling sparked jubilation among members of the youth wing of the Ojomu royal family, who...
Post a Comment
Read more

How I Was Beaten Up By Boys In Canaanland, Ota, On The Orders Of An Italian- Man Laments

Mr. Victor, a welder from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, experienced a harrowing incident on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, while at work in Ota, Ogun State. While going about his daily duties at a construction company responsible for building the ark in Faith Tabernacle, also known as Winner's Chapel, Victor faced an unexpected altercation with his boss, an Italian man named Mr. Lucas. According to Victor, the altercation escalated when Mr. Lucas suddenly slapped him on the ear from behind, without any apparent provocation. Shocked by the unwarranted assault, Victor instinctively retaliated by delivering a slap in return.  However, the situation took a drastic turn when Mr. Lucas allegedly instructed some Nigerian boys to physically assault Victor in retaliation. Subsequently, Victor was subjected to a brutal beating by the group of assailants, resulting in severe injuries, including pores coming out of his ears. Since the incident, Victor has been struggling to recover both physical...
Post a Comment
Read more

TASA Strengthens Alliance With Lagos Student Leaders, Sets Campus Mobilization in Motion Ahead of 2027 General Election

The Tinubu–Ambode Support Associates (TASA) today Wednesday, December 4, 2025, convened a strategic stakeholders’ meeting with student union leaders from across Lagos State, reaffirming the critical role of young people in shaping the democratic direction of the state as preparations intensify toward the 2027 general elections.   The meeting, attended by representatives of 11 tertiary institutions under the coordinated leadership of the Joint Campus Committee (JCC), NANS Lagos Chapter, provided a robust platform for frank political discourse, progressive engagement, and actionable strategies for youth driven political mobilization.   TASA leadership briefed the students on the urgent necessity of active participation in governance, noting that voter apathy particularly among young people significantly affected the 2023 general elections. The association emphasized that the era of leaving political decisions solely in the hands of politicians must end, as such disengagement onl...
Post a Comment
Read more