By GERTRUDE WASA
There are different views and opinions  about what the museum stands for. In this part of the world (Africa), misconceptions trails the word “museum” the most prominent reason to explain this is lack of proper education. Many people form the habit of referring to the museum as a place where rejected things (Christians & Muslims) are dumped.

However, looking at the most recent definition by (ICOM) in 1974 which stated that a museum is “a non-profit making permanent institution in the service of the society and its development and open to the public which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits for the purpose of education and enjoyment… changes the whole pertception.

*Idanre hill

On the other hand, Tourism has various definitions. These definitions have been the subject of long debates. It is  however, difficult to define the term in  one absolute term. The term tourism has  acquired more meanings over the years as people become more and more interested in different aspects of social life. Presently, tourism constitutes one of the most broad leisure spectrum, a complex and pervasive phenomenon and  touches all aspects of man and society.

A common attribute of most of the definitions is that tourism involves the temporary movement of persons from one destination to another. And such movement must be aimed at achieving some desired objectives be they social, political, economic, cultural, historical or physical objectives. In addition, the movement may be within or outside a given geographical space.

Therefore, tourism is a dynamic industry which must  be developed as a ready made employment creator and money spinner. And for it to thrive , it should be seen as an  adventure that its live wire is connected to the existence of functional socio- political  infrastructures.

In creating a better appreciation of other people’s way of life, tourism may bring about goodwill for a country every year. Many tourists travel to participate in particular events ranging from congresses to coronations. These opportunities improve co-operation as well as project  the  image of a country to the outside world.Tourism affords tourists of opportunities to  visit places of  historical importance,  monuments heritage  sites, zoological and botanical gardens.

The above brings us to the underlining question? “Is museum a tourist destination or centre?

Today, the museum still    satisfy man’s need for relaxation, inspiration ,study and research which characterized the original Greek word “museum” and later the Alexandrian version where  in about 300 B.c Ptolemy Soter founded a museum based on Greek model. The museum has three prime factors that make it a tourist destination. And these are: attraction, accessibility and amenities. These are also experienced in other related hospitality industries.

Tourism is a major source of income for most countries in the world. Therefore visitors to museum do directly contribute to its financing since admission fees are charged. The income generated although presently not large but will increase new extension plan for the museum.

However, it is quite unfortunate in Nigeria that museum tourism is still at its infancy stage in spite of the fact that the country possesses some of the richest cultural and historical monuments in Africa.