By Daniel Eteghe

Stakeholders in the tourism industry have decried the inability of the Federal Government to grant the sector intervention funds stressing that the tourism industry has been neglected for so long.

Speaking at the 2nd Public Technical Session of the Lagos Tourism Lecture Series organized by the Ministry of Tourism and Inter-Government Relations, the state’s Commissioner of Tourism , Mr. Disun Holloway stressed that the tourism industry has been neglected by the Federal Government insisting that other sectors like aviation industry, banking industry, entertainment industry and others were all beneficiary of various intervention funds.

The Commissioner who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr. Ashamu . Fadipe, noted that even the issue of who to regulate the hotels was still a bone of contention between the Federal Government and the States Governments.

“We need intervention funds in the tourism industry, the Federal Government has given intervention funds to the banks, to the entertainment industry, to aviation industry, why not the tourism industry” he asked.

He further noted that the Federal Government should give a blue print to the tourism industry in order to greatly improve the standard of the sector.

While delivering his paper on ‘Investment in the Hospitality Sector of Lagos: Prospects And Challenges’, Mr. Verno Page said that with the growth of the hospitality business in Lagos that more people as well as tourist were likely to come to the state.

He stressed that with the growth of international hotels in Lagos that the state was moving towards bringing international standards in the hospitality business both for international travelers and local travelers.