10 Ways Folorunsho Coker Pushed For Tourism To Be Nation’s Major Income Earner

Folorunsho Folarin – Coker, the well connected Nigerian businessman became the nation’s number tourism Boss with his appointment as the Director – General of the Nigerian National Tourism Corporation (NTDC) on November 3, 2017.

His performance was such that the champion of an enabling legal legal framework for Tourism to flourish was appointed for a second term in office on Friday, April 30, 2021.

The second-term tenure of the initiator Tour Nigeria, the ambitious move that shaped the narratives about Nigeria as a major destination for tourism, hospitality, arts and entertainment in Africa, came abruptly came to an end on June 19, 2023 with the dissolution of “all dissolution of the Governing Boards of all Federal Government Parastatals, Agencies, Institutions, and Government-Owned Companies” by President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu..

SocietyNow.Ng takes a look at ten (10) ways the thinker who deepened collaboration among Federal and state tourism bodies, initiated the implementation of the Kano/Durbar repackaging plan, has finger prints on the revamping of the Iri Ji Yam Festival Anambra and has Eko For Show as one of the products of the partnership with google has pushed for Tourism to be a major income earner for Nigeria.

The information at hand revealed Folorunsho Coker fondly address by fans as Folly Coker has been a major advocate for improved crucial infrastructure with transportation and accommodation playing major roles.

The position of the Nigerian and U.K schooled is that enhanced transportation infrastructure, including airports, roads, and public transportation will ” facilitate easier access for tourists.” while adequate accommodation options, such as hotels, resorts, and guesthouses, will cater to the growing number of tourists.

Second on the list is creating platforms to get better value out of one of Nigeria’s biggest exports – Music.

In the words of the holder of a bachelor’s degree in combined studies, Economic and Geography and postgraduates degrees in diplomacy, international trade and finance in a report monitored by SocietyNow.Ng “Our music is homeless. Let us give our music a home like the O2 arena or Madison Square Gardens. Let people see our music in our home. Let’s support and promote Nigerian music artists and organise music festivals and concerts showcasing Nigerian music genres such as Afrobeat, Highlife, Juju, and Afro-pop.”

Let’s develop music museums and cultural centres to preserve and exhibit Nigeria’s rich musical heritage. Afrobeats is worth $1 trillion annually globally.” he advocated.

Added findings revealed that promoting film tourism is another area, Foli – as those very conversant with him say – believes will add major boost to the nation’s tourism industry.

His explanation , according to checks made by SocietyNow.Ng, is that establishing film commissions and providing incentives for international filmmakers to shoot their movies in Nigeria will showcase landscapes, landmarks, and culture to the global audience thereby attracting tourists worldwide.

He also at different times put passion towards organizing film festivals and events that celebrate Nigerian cinema with invitation to international filmmakers and industry professionals to participate SocietyNow.Ng learned..

Also on the list, is what the alumnus of Manchester University and University of Westminster labeled, exhibiting fashion tourism.

In an interview sourced by SocietyNow.Ng, the Baba – Eto of Yoruba (the honor bestowed by the revered Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye in recognition of admirable personal and professional steps), provides insight into this particular angle on how the nation can tap into fashion tourism to leverage potentials with the explanation that “Why are we waiting to be validated by a world industry that copies us? We must organise fashion weeks and events highlighting Nigerian fashion designers, showcasing their creativity and cultural influences. We need to establish fashion hubs and incubators to nurture local talent and attract international designers and fashion enthusiasts.

“We need joint country marketing campaigns, domestically and internationally, to promote Nigeria’s tourism assets, while focusing on the creative sectors. There should be collaborations with international travel agencies and tour operators to create attractive travel packages that highlight Nigeria’s creative assets… Social media platforms and influencers should be leveraged to showcase Nigeria’s unique cultural offerings and appeal to a broader audience.”

Added checks by SocietyNow.Ng unearthed a case for “Boosting culinary tourism”, the man who transformed the face of Tourism in Lagos state with “One Lagos Fiesta”, disclosed the ” need to promote Nigerian cuisine by organising food festivals, culinary tours, and cooking workshops to introduce tourists to traditional dishes and Nigerian flavours”.

He posits that support should be given to local restaurants and street food vendors by providing training, certification, and hygiene standards to better tourists’ culinary experience in a narrative that tells of another he is trying to leverage to boost the nation’s tourism industry.

Not left out of his push for the tourism industry to flourish as a major source of revenue for the nation is the integration of Technology into Tourism.

The former special adviser on Central Business District, Lagos painted the apparent and inherent gain of this move with the point-out that, the use of Art-Intel technology will boost the overall tourist experience, like providing personalised recommendations, virtual tours, and interactive guides. Mr Coker further noted that putting in place AI-powered language translation tools will help overcome language barriers and facilitate communication between tourists and locals in another of his positions discovered by SocietyNow.Ng.

He emphasized that AI should be used for data analysis and predictive modelling to identify tourism trends, target marketing efforts, and improve resource allocation.

In a related development, the Tourism chief who rocked Abuja with food festival, Nigerian Flavors – a collaboration between NTDC and National Institute for Tourism and Hospitality, (NIHOTOUR) Chika Balogun also advocated for adoption of digital marketing and promotion of cultural of expression medium.

According to information available to SocietyNow.Ng, Coker strongly believes putting in play joint country marketing campaigns, domestically and internationally, to promote Nigeria’s tourism assets, while focusing on the creative sectors will add tremendous values.

As the Director General of NTDC, he stayed at the forefront of collaborations with international travel agencies and tour operators to create attractive travel packages that highlight Nigeria’s creative assets.

And has firm conviction that social media platforms and influencers should be leveraged to showcase Nigeria’s unique cultural offerings and appeal to a broader audience SocietyNow.Ng confirmed.

Very insistence about the competence of those in charge of Tourim affairs, Coker – at a time the Personal Assistant to President Bola Tinubu when the latter was Governor of Lagos State -, has been unending in the push for human capital development and appropriate vocational training those in charge as well all relevant stakeholders.

Insiders disclosed that his position has always been that It is not just about increasing non-producing pure academic degrees, but there should be investments in training programmes and educational initiatives to develop skilled professionals in the tourism and creative sectors, including tour guides, hospitality ecosystem staff, filmmakers, musicians, fashion designers, and culinary experts.

A major campaigner for robust collaboration between government and private sector, it is not unexpected that collaboration and partnerships is on the list his pushes to transform the Tourism industry into a major income earner for Nigeria.

SocietyNow.Ng gathered that one of major points of Coker’s campaigns for an improved tourism Industry, all through his tenure, was fostering collaborations between the government, private sector, and relevant industry stakeholders to jointly promote and develop Nigeria’s tourism industry,

He also sought partnerships with international organisations and institutions to exchange knowledge, expertise, and investments in the creative sectors.

Rounding the tourism chief’s 10 pushes for a better indutry is what is tagged sustainable tourism practices in line with the SDGs.

SocietyNow.Ng’s draws from one of the many papers presented by the down-to-earth administrator in the course of duty for insight.

The portion that shed light on number 10, reads ” We can implement sustainable tourism practices to preserve Nigeria’s natural and cultural heritage, including waste management, conservation efforts, and community engagement. COVID-19 has shown how vulnerable tourism is to global shocks. We must domesticate and shockproof Nigerian tourism.

“We can prioritise improving safety and security measures to ensure the safety of tourists. This includes increasing the presence of law enforcement agencies, and implementing surveillance systems, especially at points of transportation, hospitality, and entertainment. It also provides digital safety information and resources for tourists.

“We must simplify visa processes and ensure simple, transparent, hassle-free tourist entry. This includes implementing electronic visa systems (payment and issuing), reducing visa fees, having more extended tenure visas, new categories of visas, and offering visa-on-arrival options for selected countries. We should also consider visa-free entry for more nations.

Tourism is the reward for a good home. To attract international tourists, improving Nigeria’s global image is crucial. We should actively engage in diplomatic efforts to improve international perceptions of the country and address any negative stereotypes or misconceptions.

“We can invest in research and data collection (Tourism Satellite Account) to understand the needs and preferences of tourists better. This will enable us to tailor our policies and marketing strategies to attract the right target audience. It goes without saying that, don’t measure your performance if you don’t want to know your problems.

We must establish a dedicated tourism ministry to relocate NTDA outside of the Ministry of Information. The focus must be on the tourism industry’s development and promotion. This ministry should have the authority and resources to implement and monitor the proposed policies and methods effectively. Government propaganda and destination marketing are not the same. Tourism, Arts, and Culture should be one. One voice. One mission.”