The Cross River State Government has called on hotels to upgrade their services ahead of the 2024 Calabar Carnival and street parties scheduled in the state during the yuletide.
Ekpenyong Ojoi, the director general of the Cross River Tourism Bureau, made the call on Monday in Calabar at an award presentation of N1 million each to 20 hotels and N500 thousand each to 14 restaurants and bars.
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Hotels and bars from the northern and southern districts of the state benefitted from the government initiative.
Speaking during the presentation of cheques, Mr Ojoi said there would be no tourism in the state without the private sector involvement.
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According to him, the Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, is highly committed to ensuring the growth of hotels in the state, which will boost the state’s tourism potential.
He, however, said that the hotels also needed to upgrade their services.
“As we support you, you need to upgrade your services. When customers call for food or water, does it take up to 30 minutes before they are provided? Do we still have hotels with leaking roofs?
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“The Bureau will come after such hotels and close them down.
“The governor has assured that, by the first quarter of 2025, two new aircraft will be added to the state’s fleet.
“This is to boost traffic to the state. So, hotels have to be ready to accommodate these tourists and give them the best service,” Mr Ojoi said.
Charles Ogar, chairperson of the Hoteliers Association of Nigeria, Cross River Chapter, appealed to hotel and restaurant owners to partner with the state’s tourism bureau to grow the sector.
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Mr Ogar, who called on the grant beneficiaries to ensure that the funds were ploughed back into their businesses, said tourism in Nigeria has to be led by Cross River.
He thanked the state government for its support to the industry while calling for the training and retraining of players in the state’s hospitality industry to boost its potential.
Similarly, Ekpenyong Akiba, the special adviser to the governor on special duties, said the governor has shown deliberate intention to encourage hotel businesses.
Mr Akiba added that tourism was a driver of several activities in the state.
(NAN)
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