‘770,000 travel, tourism jobs lost in Nigeria’
World Travel and Tourism Council (WTC) Regional Director Andrew Brown has said over 770,000 jobs were lost in the travel and tourism sector in Nigeria as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He spoke during a forum organised by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) for Tourism, Hospitality, Entertainment, Creatives and Sports as a business (THECS).
Speaking on the theme: Repositioning Nigeria’s Tourism and Hospitality sectors for Sustainable Growth and Profitability, Brown said pre-COVID 19, travel and tourism accounted for 330 million jobs worldwide and that figure is expected to grow to 440 million by 2030.
He, however, noted that about $4.5 trillion were lost by the tourism and hospitality sectors as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide and over 770,000 jobs were lost in the sector in Nigeria alone.
Co-chair, THECS Policy Commission and board member of the NESG, Mr Udeme Ufot, said Nigeria was uniquely positioned as an all-year-round tourism destination with a strong domestic tourism sector; rich natural resources; and a variety of associated attractions including music, entertainment, sports, religion and a very rich cultural heritage.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Dr. Ifeoma Anyanwutaku, while delivering a presentation on Tourism & Hospitality Sectors as Catalysts for Nigeria’s Economic Recovery, said tourism has tremendous growth opportunities for the Nigerian economy and that the sectors continue to have potentials for growth.
No comments:
Post a Comment