Foreign tourists are avoiding Nigerian parks due to fear of attack from the Islamic militant group, Boko Haram, an official has said. Nigeria National Park Service assistant conservator-general, Okedeji Okeyoyin said the park facilities were idle throughout the country, a situation that has affected the functionality of game reserves.
“If you look at the trend of tourists flow, before Boko Haram, you will see rise in the graph but the moment Boko Haram struck, the graph dropped,” he was quoted as saying by Daily Post.
“During Christmas and Easter period, you see tourists from Europe coming…, but when we had the challenge of insurgency, they stopped…”
Okeyoyin also bemoaned lack of funding and bad road network to tourism centres in the country. He said adequate funding for the national parks is required because people will easily compare Nigerian parks to countries like Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
“In those countries, the parks generate substantial money as revenue and the Honourable minister of environment has said our own parks too can do the same if the federal government is able to provide enough money and basic infrastructure,” said Okeyoyin.
“…when we talk of revenue, the National Park’s ability to generate revenue is a function of security of the country. We the elite should start visiting the parks, if we do, others too will join us. Let us promote domestic tourism first, then international tourists will follow.”
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