By Moses Sawacha eTurboNews Nigerian Minster for Culture and Tourism Franklin Ogbuewu has unveiled his tourism development package for 2005.  According to the minister, the tourism sector in Nigeria is expected to witness some concrete actions to focus on critical areas that have been neglected over the years.

According to Minister Ogbuewu, the trust of 2005 agenda is to ensure that a comprehensive policy on tourism is produced.  There is also a lot of infrastructural development in the course of the year using the Presidential Council on Tourism (PCT) as a launch pad.

In addition, most of the nations abandoned and dilapidated tourist attraction in the country would receive the desired attention and patronage from the government. 

The tourism ministerأ¢â‚¬â„¢s agenda for 2005 include the collection and analysis of tourism statistics for planning; classification and grading of hotels and similar establishments; publication and creation of awareness on the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) Global Code of Ethics for Tourism; encouraging the establishment of sustainable tourism-eliminating poverty (ST-EP) projects in the states and local government areas with a view to empowering the people; comprehensive policy on tourism be put in place to address critical issues such as incentives and financing of tourism projects; and, encouraging participation of Nigerians in sphere of tourism; and accelerating infrastructural development through the activities of the Presidential Council on Tourism (PCT).

The Nigerian tourism sector has suffered terrible neglect over the years as a result of what officials claim to be under funding by successive government. 

It is hoped that with the improved budget for tourism in 2005, the ministry would have enough to spare for the development of the various tourism sites and eventual completion of the tourism master plan designed to evolve a standard policy that would trigger investment and development in the vast and untapped Nigeria tourism sector.