By Kyantirimam Ukwen, Jalingo
Taraba State has no reason to wallow in misery if the several festivals among indigenous ethnic groups are harnessed and given the right place as a major income earner for the state.
This was the take of Mr Lucas Shehu Nelson of the National Tourism Development Corporation in a paper at the Taraba Transformative Discourse workshop which ended on Wednesday in Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State.
He identified poor governance and policy switches, lack of funding, poor promotion and inadequate deployment of technology as factors impeding on the growth of tourism in the state. Noting with dismay the claims of the state to static tourism sites, he noted that there was no reason to hold on to data of over three decades without corresponding expanded exploration and development of new attractions.
The tourism expert detailed the job creation and employment opportunities that await Tarabans should they key into the contemporary approach used by states active in the sector. According to Mr Nelson, a key strategy is for the State to strive to acquire and exchange knowledge from those who have been successful with tourism management so as to measure up. The government, he advised, should consider friendly tax policies that will encourage investors in the sector to take interest in Taraba.
Earlier in an opening address, the convener, Mr Godfrey Wesley Tafida urged participants to fully engage the issues with the aim of charting a way forward in the themes set for discourse which cut across agriculture, forestry, solid minerals and water resources.
Participants in the discourse affirmed that Taraba is indeed under explored in terms of tourism and were optimistic that creating an enabling environment for tourism to thrive will turn around the fortunes of the State.
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