By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

Calabar- Cross River State Government is to hold Agro-fair for local communities to showcase their crops and delicacies for commercial purposes to boost tourism in the state.

Chairman of Ikom Local Government, Dr. Tony Ngban, who disclosed this at the fourth edition of Ikom New Yam Festival, tagged Ikom Hi-Life, said it was the plan of government to encourage professions and vocations in tourism and culture to create employment for youths.

Ngban said the state government through the state tourism bureau insisted that cultivation of yams should generate businesses, employment and local industry for the people.

“That is why every year we build the festival (New yam festival) around a theme that will propel our tourism to greater heights for the benefit of government and the great people of Ikom.

“The theme, creating visitor readiness status for events and environment to consolidate the tourism potentials and position of our culture and heritage had been chosen for this year’s celebration with the objective to create local awareness of our position in tourism and introduce our hospitality to the world through our sites, attractions, leisure and culture,” he said.

Speaking in an interview, the Managing Director, state Tourism Bureau, Mr. Micheal Williams, said that the government had done much to make the state number one tourism destination in the country.

Williams said that tourism development should not be left to government alone, noting that with private investors in the sector, the issue of unemployment will be a thing of the past.

He decried the bad state of federal roads in the state, which had affected efforts made to develop the sector to a higher height and called on the Federal Government to do something urgently, so that the dream and vision of Cross River becoming the tourist destination would be realised.