Tourism operators in Nigeria are seeking N30bn stimulus and six months moratorium for all bank credits.
The travels and hospitality centres are also asking for a tax-free regime as part of post coronavirus disease intervention by the Federal Government.
Speaking through the National President, Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria Abiodun Odusanwo, they urged the Federal Government to accord priority to the tourism industry in its economic stimulus and intervention initiatives.
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Areas of intervention required in the sector, according to the operators, include, “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 six months; tax-free regime in the first and second quarters of this year, as part of post COVID-19 intervention”
The also demand “immediate promotion of domestic tourism as an inward strategy to boost inbound tourism due to impending dwindling fortunes of international travel bans and restrictions and financial intervention of N15.5bn for job losses, pay cuts, sustainable professional competency training for members across the country and N30bn economic stimulus to ensure transparency and inclusiveness.”
Odusanwo added that in economic terms, hotels would lose billions of naira from cancellations, as smaller hotels would stop operation because they could not afford to do so.
His words, “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.
“The labour force in the sector will suffer similar fate, as employees will be forced to take unpaid vacations and a few offered part-time works where skeletal services are offered. This is where tourism professionals, who are members of ITPN, will be in greater dilemma and at risk of confronting survival in a sector that has become comatose.”
He noted that globally, tourism and hospitality industry is badly affected by pandemics because of the nature of the business, which is always related to the travelling of people.
