Travel/Tourism
Growing The Rural Communities Through Sustainable Tourism
By Olukayode Kolawole
The responsibility to grow our rural communities is a shared one. In fact, majority of the tourism sites in Nigeria are located in most of the rural areas. Developments in these areas are not as fast-paced as urban communities.
Every year, rural development always finds its way to the government’s shopping list but somehow doesn’t make it to the priority list. Reasons for this might include, but not limited to, insufficient budget, lack of proper planning and measurable goals.
Most of the tourism sites in the country domicile within these rural communities. It is therefore surprising why we are investing hugely to develop these communities, considering the fact that we are making conscious efforts to grow our tourism and travel industry into a melting pot.
Sustainable tourism implies that a tourist who visits a place tries to make positive impact on the environment, society and economy as well. There are a good number of ways to do this: respect the people who call the location home, their culture and customs and the socio-economic system in the area.
While it is not surprising that often times people tend to confuse sustainable tourism with ecotourism, whereas ecotourism is actually an aspect of sustainable tourism; this article will focus on the economic importance of ecological tourism (ecotourism).
Tourism has many merits, no doubt. One of its demerits is that it causes damage on the environment.
Ecotourism, on the other hand, seeks to promote responsible travel to natural areas that protect the environment and advance the prosperity of the local people. It aims to provide a fun, relaxing vacation while protecting the surrounding ecosystem.
It often works to train and engage the participants in an eco-friendly lifestyle. The adverse effects of hotels, trails and other infrastructure are reduced through the use of either recycled supplies or abundantly existing local building materials, recycling, renewable sources of energy and safe disposal of waste and refuse.
If well managed, ecotourism will contribute actively to the maintenance of natural and cultural heritage, namely, inclusion of local and indigenous communities in its planning, development and operation, which reduces poverty and enhances intercultural & environmental understanding.
As a responsible traveller who is interested in minimizing the negative impacts of his tour and if you take special interest in local nature and cultures, ecotourism should appeal to you.
Remote areas, whether populated or unpopulated and are typically under some kind of environmental protection at different levels are destinations for ecotourism. Regulating the number of tourists and type of behaviour will ensure limited damage to the ecosystem as well as contribute to the minimization of its impact.
Tourists and residents of nearby communities need to be educated before departure through reading materials about the country they are visiting, location and the people, as well as a code of conduct for both the traveller and the industry. This information helps prepare the tourists.
Well-trained, multilingual naturalist guides serve to educate members of the neighbouring community, students and the larger community in the host country. To do so, entrance and lodge fees for nationals must be reduced and free educational travels for indigenous students and those living near the tourist attraction should be encouraged.
In addition, it also helps increase funds for ecological protection, investigation and education through a selection of apparatuses, including park entrance fees, tour companies, hotels, hotel booking portals like Jumia Travel, airlines and airport taxes and voluntary contributions.
National parks and other conservation areas will only subsist if there are “happy people” around their borders. The inclusion and participation of the local community is critical to the success of ecotourism.
These communities should receive proceeds and other physical benefits (potable water, roads, hospitals, etc.) from the conservation area and its tourist amenities.
Campgrounds, hotels, chaperon services, restaurants and other enterprises should be run by or in partnership with communities surrounding a park or other tourist destinations.
For ecotourism to be seen as a tool for rural development, total economic and political control must be given to the communal, township, cooperative, or entrepreneur.
This is the most challenging and time wasting idea in the economic equation and the one that foreign operators most often let it slip through the cracks or that they follow only partially or formally.
Tourism helps in building international understanding and world peace although this does not happen automatically; frequently in fact, tourism strengthens the economies of repressive and high-handed states.
Mass tourism pays scarce attention to the political structure of the host country or struggles within it, unless civil unrest escapes into outbreaks on tourists. Ecotourism demands a more holistic method to travel, one in which participants try to respect, study about and profit both the local environment and local communities.
In many emerging countries, rural residents around national parks and other ecotourism attractions are sealed in contests with the government and transnational corporations for control of the assets. Eco-tourists should therefore be sensitive to the host country’s political environment and social climate and need to contemplate the merits of global boycotts called for by those supportive of democratic reforms.
Olukayode Kolawole is a Head of PR & Marketing at Jumia Travel NG
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A travel card designed for tourists, business visitors, Diaspora returnees has been launched by Verve in partnership with Providus Bank.
Known as the ProvidusVerve Travel Card, the Naira-based travel card will allow inbound travellers to enjoy a smooth, secure, and convenient payment experience throughout their stay in Nigeria. It was powered by Verve’s secure.
Created to support the surge of tourists, expatriates, business visitors, conference delegates, and returning diaspora expected during the festive Detty December season, the ProvidusVerve Travel Card enables seamless payments for transportation, hotels, dining, shopping, entertainment, and everyday essentials nationwide.
The card also works on select global merchant platforms that accept Verve, including Netflix, Google Play, and other digital services, ensuring travellers enjoy uninterrupted access to familiar services.
The ProvidusVerve Travel Card eliminates the hassle of sourcing naira or converting foreign currency on arrival. It enables instant, secure transactions, reduces reliance on cash, and supports compliance with the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
It also mitigates the risks associated with carrying physical cash such as loss, theft, or fraud, offering a safe, regulation-aligned option for both online and in-person payments.
“The ProvidusVerve Travel Card is a timely solution for inbound travellers seeking reliability, security, and simplicity while navigating Nigeria.
“Together with Providus Bank, we have created a product that eliminates the friction traditionally associated with accessing local payments.
“Whether for tourism, business, or festive activities, this card ensures a smooth financial experience from the moment visitors land,” the Vice President for Issuing and Acquiring Management for Africa at Verve International, Mr Paul Ohakim, stated.
On his part, the Divisional Head for Product Management and Solution Delivery at Interswitch, Mr Ademola Adeniran, described the partnership as a reflection of “Verve’s commitment to designing products that respond to real user needs.”
“The ProvidusVerve Travel Card supports everyday experiences — from booking rides and hotels to shopping, streaming, and dining. It provides inbound travellers with a secure, compliant, digital-first way to experience Nigeria without financial barriers,” he added.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, has disclosed that the federal government may recover and sell the assets of Dana Air to refund passengers and travel agents whose funds remain trapped following the suspension of the airline’s operations.
The Minister disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday at the Ministry’s fourth quarter stakeholders’ engagement to enhance governance for effective service delivery in aviation.
Speaking at the event themed “leveraging public feedback to drive excellence in aviation services, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) will be directed to probe why funds trapped by the airline are yet to be refunded.
He revealed that the authority suspended the operations of the airline as a matter of choice between safety and disaster.
“For Dana, the problem is that it was a choice between safety and disaster. So we didn’t take the commercial thing as priority. The priority was safety, and we all looked at the damning reports that we had met on the table.
“It was a decision of the NCAA to suspend them, but I pushed them to say, look, these are the reports we are seeing on the table about safety record, about lack of standards that put the lives of Nigerians at risk. If they continue flying, I don’t know whether most of us will be here. Many of us would have been victims of one of those flights. God forbid.”
According to him, “I have asked Najomo (NCAA director general) to dig deep to find out how those passengers and agents will be refunded. He has to dig deep on that.
“One solution will also be that if that same individual or those entities are trying to come back to aviation under any guise, whether to go and register a new AOC or use any business within the aviation sector, they have to go and settle their debts first.
“We should look at their assets. There are assets that are still available. Let them sell their assets. Let’s cannibalize their revenue and pay people. Let’s find a way to go after their assets and get money to pay Nigerians who are owed.
“NCAA should do that because they can’t get away with it.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said it has imposed a N5 million penalty on Qatar Airways for consumer protection violations.
The announcement was made on Wednesday by the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, Mr Michael Achimugu, on X, adding that there may be other sanctions depending on how the airline treats other cases.
“Glad to announce that, today, the NCAA has sanctioned @qatarairways to the tune of five million naira being penalty for consumer protection-related infractions. In addition, the letters of investigation (LOI) written to the airline over other cases may lead to further sanctions if not treated satisfactorily,” Mr Achimugu wrote.
The fine followed an incident when a Nigerian passenger was accused by a Qatar Airways cabin crew member of sexual harassment during boarding in Lagos for a flight to the United States via Doha, Qatar.
The allegation was only reported in Doha, where the passenger was arrested, detained for 18 hours, fined, and compelled to sign a document written solely in Arabic.
Qatar Airways allegedly refused to continue his journey, forcing him to purchase another ticket at considerable financial and reputational cost.
The NCAA said it invited Qatar Airways’ country manager to a meeting over the incident, but he failed to attend, sending subordinates instead.
“I understand that some countries do not have advanced aviation consumer protection regulations like Nigeria does. In certain cases, some countries don’t even have any. This creates a situation where airlines operating out of those countries (mostly national carriers) act with disdain towards consumer protection enforcement in Nigeria.
“This is not a situation that we would accept here. It is against the law for ANY Airlines not to respond to the NCAA. It is against the law to provide false information to the NCAA. It is against the law to fail to comply with the provisions of Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023,” Mr Achimugu said in an earlier post.
In September, the NCAA accused Qatar Airways of mistreating Nigerian passengers and failing to comply with consumer protection regulations under Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.
The regulator then threatened stiff penalties against the airline for repeatedly disregarding its directives.
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