Minister urges D-8 members to liberalise visa policy
(Nigeria) The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji
Lai Mohammed, has called on the D-8 Organisation for Economic Development to
liberalise the issuance of visas as a deliberate policy to boost tourism among
member states.
The Minister made the call on the heels of the resolve by
the D-8 to prioritise tourism development among its members as outlined by the
Secretary General, Dr. Seyed Mousavi, during a courtesy visit to the Minister
in Abuja on Wednesday.
“I think one area that the D-8 must work on and, if they
really want to succeed, they must make sure that there is no barrier in terms
of visa among these eight countries. You cannot grow trade, talk less of
tourism, if there is visa restriction. It’s the free movement of people that
will guarantee the free movement of trade,” he said.
Alhaji Mohammed observed that it was not by coincidence that
the countries with the highest traffic of tourists are those whose visas are
least difficult to access.
He told the D-8 Secretary General that the present
administration is committed to harnessing the potentials in the tourism sector
in the renewed drive to diversify the nation’s economy.
The Minister, however, identified the dearth of
infrastructure, access to tourism sites, preservation and conservation of
cultural heritages, perception and failure to involve the locals in the tourism
economy as some of the challenges confronting the development of tourism in
Nigeria.
Alhaji Mohammed therefore stressed the need for D-8 member
states with similar challenges to close ranks in order to make the economic
bloc a tourist destination.
“Until and when nations with similar histories, problems and
identical aspirations start working together, they will not be able to achieve
their potentials. That is why I believe that the D-8 is a very good
initiative,” he said.
The Minister urged the D-8 to look at tourism beyond
sight-seeing and relaxation, but consider it as a veritable tool for political
and economic empowerment.
Earlier, the Secretary General said the organization is
doing a lot to integrate its people, governments and economies in order to
promote the prosperity of member states.
He said the D-8 had been actively involved in the
development of agriculture, trade, industry, energy and transportation but it
recently resolved to delve into tourism because of its huge potentials for the
economic development of member states.
The D-8 member countries are Nigeria, Egypt, Malaysia,
Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Turkey.
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