Amb. Sherif Naquib,the outgoing Egyptian Ambassador to Nigeria, has stressed the need for Nigeria to harness its domestic tourism for it to contribute to the diversification of the economy.The oil and gas sector contributes more than 80 per cent of the country’s revenue.

Naquib said in Abuja that the nation had many tourist destinations, which could be developed, packaged and promoted locally and internationally.

He said that the diverse cultures and ethnicity could be harnessed through tourism “in Nigeria by Nigerians”.
Naquib called on the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) to harness domestic tourism as means of diversifying the economic base of the country.

“There is a need for the NTDC to develop domestic tourism by encouraging people to travel from one part of Nigeria to another to experience the cultures, hospitality and food of the diverse ethnic groups in the country,” he said.

He said that Egypt generated 10 billion dollars annually from tourism, stressing the need for African countries to collaborate in the area of tourism.

Naquib described the cultural relations between Nigeria and Egypt as excellent and that his country participated in the Abuja Carnival in 2008 and 2009.

The ambassador said that the recent Nigeria Arts Exhibition in Cairo and Alexandra had further strengthened the cultural ties between the two nations.

Naquib said that the trade between Nigeria and Egypt stood at 120 million dollars in 2009, noting that there had been a 60 per cent increase compared to previous years.

Naquib, who is being replaced by Amb. Yousof Chawky, was posted to Nigeria in 2007 and served for three years.
NAN reports that Nigeria and Egypt have bilateral relations as members of the D_8 Commission, which aims at promoting free trade and movement. Other member nations are Turkey, Iran, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia.