COVID-19: Professionals seek N45bn lifeline for tourism sector

The Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria (ITPN) has urged the government to provide N30 billion support to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism sector. National President of the Institute, Chief Abiodun Odusanwo, told newsmen in Lagos that tourism sector was the hardest hit by the pandemic globally, attributing this to “the […]

The Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria (ITPN) has urged the government to provide N30 billion support to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism sector.

National President of the Institute, Chief Abiodun Odusanwo, told newsmen in Lagos that tourism sector was the hardest hit by the pandemic globally, attributing this to “the multi varying nature and economic activities of the sector that entails movement of people and services.”

He urged the Federal Government to prioritise the tourism industry in all its economic support and industry-specific intervention initiatives.

Odusanwo said: “Worldwide generally, tourism and hospitality industry is very badly affected by pandemics because of the nature of the business which is always related to the travelling of people.

“History has shown that epidemics and pandemics have an immediate impact on the hotels and restaurants, airlines industries, travel agencies, etc. due to the international travel restrictions and government measures of imposing lockdowns”, he added.

According to him, as long as the pandemic lasts, “the impact on tourism will be irreversible leading to a myriad of operational challenges and losses’.

He pointed out that hotels would lose billions from cancellations; smaller hotels will stop operation because they can’t afford to do so; unemployment will skyrocket in the sector; travel agencies and tour operators will go bankrupt; transfer companies will be economically destroyed and all forms of travels will be completely grounded.

Other areas of intervention he listed include the grant of moratorium period for all bank facilities granted operators in the travel-hospitality and the tourism sub-sectors for a period of not less than 6 months; and tax holiday for operators in the first half of this year.

The tourism industry leader also called for immediate promotion of domestic tourism as an inward strategy to boost inbound tourism due to impending dwindling fortunes of international travel bans and restrictions.