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Nigeria needs to market its tourism potential better if it is to be seen as a good tourism destination, the Belgian Ambassador to Nigeria, Pieter Leenknegt, has said.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, is not considered a major tourism destination, and was not among the ten most visited countries on the continent in the past two years.
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In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Leenknegt said Nigeria needs to be deliberate about promoting its tourism potential.
“… if you just go and browse the internet and you want to see a picture of Abuja, what you will find is the entrance gate, the white unity gate there,” he said.
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He said there is a lot of tourism potential in Abuja and other Nigerian cities that can be promoted.
“…the big draw to Abuja for me is these volcanic hills everywhere. They are just sprouting up in the landscape. Nobody in Europe even knows that that exists,” he said. “And there are other natural features. I was in Taraba recently. It’s a wonderful place in terms of nature. Nobody in Europe’s ever heard of Taraba. The only thing that comes close is a friend of mine who just looked up the altitude levels on a map and says, that area there, neighbouring Cameroon, must be very beautiful because of the kind of the hills, the drawings of the hills. But nobody in Europe has a clue. But we all hope this is bound to change.”
The diplomat also said Nigeria can use its national cuisine and cinema to bolster its image abroad.
According to him, knowledge of Nigeria’s culture across countries is significantly limited, and the government needs to improve this.
Mr Leenknegt said Nigeria sometimes overrates the popularity of its food and that its film industry also needs major promotion.
“Currently, there are hardly any Nigerian restaurants to be found anywhere in Europe that I know of, perhaps a little bit in the UK. This, perhaps a misperception from the Nigerian side on what is renowned from Nigeria abroad,” he said.
Mr Leenknegt said Nigeria has to be deliberate about improving its image abroad, especially on the issue of cybercrime.
“Images come with their ups and downs. Of course, in terms of the internet, Nigeria definitely has to shed a bit of a bad image,” he said.
Positives
The diplomat, however, said Nigerian music and literature are very popular globally, including in his home country, Belgium.
“Belgians working in Nigeria would always draw my attention to the fact that nowadays in clubs in Brussels, people are dancing and singing in pidgin English.
“Also, of course, when it comes to literature, Nigeria is an established brand by far,” he added.
In the interview with PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Leenknegt also discussed the impact of the Dangote refinery on fuel imports from Belgium into Nigeria and other areas of partnership between both countries, such as pharmaceuticals and agriculture.
PREMIUM TIMES will publish the full interview with the diplomat on Saturday.
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