Mrs Nneka Moses, the Managing Director (MD) of Goge Africa, a cultural firm, says that domestic tourism can be developed through celebration of indigenous festivals.
Moses told newsmen in Lagos that festivals would always bring about cultural integration among stakeholders.
“Festival is an avenue to showcase a nation’s cultures, norms and lifestyles to the outside world, which in turn brings about integration,’’ she said.
According to her, there are thousands of festivals celebrated in Nigeria annually which can be used to boost the nation’s foreign exchange earnings.
“The more the celebrations of traditional festivals; the more tourists, foreigners and visitors that are likely to come into the country to watch or participate.
“Once the international tourists come to Nigeria for festivals, they eat our local cuisine, lodge in our hotels, enter commercial vehicles, airlines and patronise our locally-made goods and items.
“This will increase the country’s internally generated revenue (IGR), create employment opportunities for the country’s citizens,’’ she said.
She said that some of the prominent festivals are: Osun-Osogbo, Ofala, Argungun Fish Festival, Eyo and Durban festivals.
“If these indigenous festivals are properly packaged; promoted and supported by both the Federal and state governments, they will put the nation’s culture and tourism in the forefront among other international festivals ,’’ she said.
Moses advised the government to adequately support the growth of national festivals saying that this would facilitate the development of domestic tourism.
She said that several countries such as Kenyan, Ethiopia and France had improved their economies by developing their tourism sectors, adding that Nigeria could take a clue from them.
Moses said that each state in the country had lots of tourism and culture potential that they could develop to boost their Internally Generated Revenue