Sally
Uwechue-Mbanefo, Director General of The Nigerian Tourism Development
Corporation (NTDC) just back from
the World Travel Market Forum which held at Excel,
London between November 4th and November 7th 2013 speaks on her
vision for NTDC.
Nigeria at the 2013 World Travel
Market Forum
This
is a global travel market which a lot of travel and tourism stakeholders
attend and it gives Nigeria the opportunity to showcase her tourism
potentials. It’s also an opportunity to tell people why they should
link-up with Nigeria, an opportunity to say “I know you heard so many stories
about Nigeria that are not complimentary but here we are in person to show you just
a tip of the ice berg of the beauty of Nigeria, the fascinating
culture and the beautiful and very warm people that we are”.
Her Vision for Nigeria’s tourism
sector
I
think the most important thing is for us to be able to pass a message through
to Nigerians that tourism is a very serious business. There are many things that
are quite good and tangible happening for Nigeria that we need to talk
about. Nigerians want to be appreciated for what we are, who we
are and what we stand for. We are warm and positive people. Our culture is
quite rich and diverse. There are beautiful world heritage sites in Nigeria
which include the Osun Oshogbo grooves. I’m totally brand new in
this industry and I have come with fresh ideas, I have come with a reflective
attitude to tourism. I want to look at tourism in a holistic manner. We
have tourist attractions that people don’t know about and one of the
things I have been working on is domestic tourism. With a population
of 170 million, who can best sell Nigeria than us? Don’t forget, one
of our big assets is oil but the vision is to steer Nigerians away from oil
to focus on tourism.
We’re
exploring how tourism can be embraced by the private sector because
tourism is a private sector activity. It’s driven by the private sector, so it
requires somebody with experience in the private sector to drive tourism
in Nigeria. Nigerians are educated people, we have also travelled far and
wide and that is why I’m focusing on domestic tourism, because we want to
encourage Nigerians to travel within Nigeria and those that travel out should
speak well about our country and invite foreigners to visit Nigeria.
Nigeria is a compelling story that must be told. Every Nigerian must take
advantage of what we have. The beauty, the sights and sounds of beautiful
people. We have a very friendly weather all year round. Among Nigeria’s success
stories of tourism is Nollywood and we are partnering Nollywood in
selling Nigeria’s tourism potentials. Nigeria’s success story also
features business tourism which has been the most powerful one, but we do not
want outsiders to come to Nigeria only for business tourism. You come in, spend
and enjoy. Subsequently, you go out and speak well of Nigeria.
The impact ‘Fascinating Nigeria’
campaign has made
‘Fascinating
Nigeria’ means we are a fascinating people. The country’s diverse
cultures, multiple festivals make it very rich and we are very warm
people. It’s an attempt to persuade Nigerians to key into that understanding of
tourism in Nigeria and how they will share their experiences with non-
Nigerians. We just launched it in June 2013 and it’s interesting to know
that people are aware something is going on. Nigeria’s tourism sector has
something to offer, but tourists generally need to give us time, so that
we can put our infrastructure in place. When we talk about it, they will come
and see that what we say matches what we are showing them. We need to put
some certain things in place, so that we can deliver, because we are
promising tourists that when they come to Nigeria, they will have a fascinating
experience. Obtaining their visas, meeting people at the airport (including taxi
drivers that take them to the hotels), the tourist attractions they
visit, all make the difference.
Her Dress Sense
It’s
been very interesting to me. It’s quite nice, I feel more Nigerian than I
really am. I’m really Nigerian. I speak Nigerian languages and I
did all my schooling here. All my children are in Nigeria. It’s exciting
that I dress in native these days. I try to encourage the youth and
budding designers to make my dresses.
Life before NTDC
I was
in the private sector. I was a banker and I spent about 20 years in
banking. Before NTDC, I was an executive director in a bank. Then I had a
three-year stint in manufacturing. I was also a director at The Coca--Cola
Company and a cement company. Furthermore, I worked in the oil and
gas sector as an executive director as well.
Working at NTDC
It’s
not been easy, but everything depends on my mind-set. I was prepared to work
for my country and I am determined to make it a success no matter what.
I’m committed and dedicated to the success of Nigeria’s tourism sector. I
want people to be curious about Nigeria and be interested in coming to
Nigeria. I’m focused on people’s development and job creation
too. Countries like Gambia, Kenya and South Africa are willing to
partner with us. We want all Nigerians to be part of the
change.
First day at NTDC
It
was very interesting. I think one of the nicest things about NTDC is the
fact that more than 50% of the staff are women. That makes it very nice for me,
because I relate very well with women. Women are very flexible and they
can multi-task. That helps a lot when you are new in a place. You’re
motivated to create change in an environment like that and people respond
positively to you. That has been my experience.
Hobbies
I
visit our tourist attractions. I also draw and paint. I’m an artist. I
draw my outfits too and designers work on them. They are young
entrepreneurs.
Staying Fit
I eat
carbohydrates and anything except unhealthy food. I’m most concerned about
the nutritional value of what I eat. If you eat three square meals, then you
don’t snack. A snack is supposed to be a snack not a meal. If you eat cake when
you are hungry it’s no longer a snack, but when you eat a proper meal then you
see a cake, you find yourself taking very little of it . If you are
hungry and you jump on a cake as a meal, that is empty calories and you
continue to be hungry because it’s empty calories. It’s just empty sugar and
doesn’t add any value to your body. You need to eat in a way that is
natural to your body. Eat everything that your body likes but moderation.
Mrs Sally Uwechuo-Mbanefo spoke
to Christy Anyanwu of The Sunday Sun
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