Mrs Omolara Adagunodo, Managing Director, Jumia’s Hotel and Flight Marketplace, on Thursday urged the Federal Government to extend Visa-on-Arrival to international tourists trooping into the country for leisure.
Adagunodo, who made the call in Lagos, said that international tourists who were coming to explore Nigeria’s rich destinations and spend money should be eligible to apply for Visa-on-Arrival.
She said that only foreign investors or business persons of international repute, executives of multinational companies and members of government delegations were the ones eligible to apply for Visa-on-Arrival.
“We commend the Federal Government in making the visa application process seamless and we have seen results from the numbers available to Jumia via the Jumia Hospitality Report 2018, that many people are willing to visit the country.
“This can only be possible if the provision for Visa-on-Arrival can be extended to international tourists.
“We discovered that there was an increase in the number of international arrivals in 2017, unlike in 2016 where the country recorded a low influx of international tourists due to the security issues orchestrated by the terrorist group, Boko Haram in Northern Nigeria, ‘’ Adagunodo said.
She said that the country welcomed 1.065 million international tourists, generating over N278 billion as revenue in 2017.
Adagunodo noted that according to forecast, Nigeria would have played host to 1.067 million foreigners by end of 2018.
“These numbers simply show that there are so many people who are willing to visit Nigeria and we strongly believe that if the Federal Government’s Visa-on-Arrival policy accommodates international tourists, these figures will be met and surpassed.
“It will not only boosts tourism but also improve tourism’s contribution to Nigeria’s economy, ‘’ she added.
Adagunodo said that it was noteworthy to add that countries like Ethiopia and Botswana recently announced that they would introduce Visa-on-Arrival at the point of entry.
She said that Botswana would offer tourists visa at the point of entry, effective Nov. 24, 2018 while Ethiopia had already started issuing Visa-on-Arrival to all African travellers since Nov. 9, 2018.
Adagunodo said that the introduction of the Visa-on-Arrival for international tourists would further help Nigeria meet the 2020 deadline set by the African Union for Visa-Free travel for African citizens within their own continent. (NAN)