September 27, 2021
By Lois Otse Adams
Today is world tourism day and there is every need for us to celebrate this very important day, since tourism forms an integral part of human existence.
Therefore those who subject their lives in a shell called location are like eggs that is never hashed, “All works and no play, makes Jack a dull boy”
Everyone has a right to migrate and to add value to the larger Society but illegal migration leads to dehumanization and trafficking.
Gone are the days where people travel abroad to enjoy and catch fun, especially now that there are so many tourism attractions in Nigeria that will make the sector flourish.
Some families do not compromise tourism, and there are some Professionals who with the little warnings travel round the world, but have we attained that in Nigeria?
As we mark the Wold Tourism Day, set out time to visit a place or a family, to add value and glamour to your life.
The importance of tourism is demonstrated throughout the world. From the economic advantages that tourism brings to host communities to the enjoyment that tourism brings to the tourists themselves, there is no disputing the value of this industry.
The importance of tourism can be viewed from two perspectives: the tourism industry and the tourist. When many people think about the tourism industry they visualise only the front-line workers- the Holiday Representative, the Waiter, the Diving Instructor. But in reality, the tourism industry stretches much, much further than this.
However, the tourist is just as important, as without them there would be no tourism!
Below are just a few examples of the importance of tourism to the tourist:
Enhanced quality of life.
Taking a holiday can greatly benefit a person’s quality of life. While different people have very different ideas of what makes a good holiday (there are more than 150 types of tourism after all!), a holiday does have the potential to enhance quality of life.
Ability to broaden way of thinking.
Travel is known to help broaden a person’s way of thinking. Travel introduces you to new experiences, new cultures and new ways of life. Many people claim thatchy ‘find themselves’ while travelling.
The importance of tourism can be attributed to the educational value that it provides. Travellers and tourists can learn many things while embarking on a tourist experience, from tasting authentic local dishes to learning about the exotic animals that they may encounter.
Ability to ‘escape’.
Tourism provides the opportunity for escapism. Escapism can be good for the mind. It can help you to relax, which in turn often helps you to be more productive in the workplace and in every day life. This is another way that the importance of tourism is demonstrated.
Rest and relaxation is very important. Taking time out for yourself helps you to be a happier, healthier person, and having the opportunity for rest and relaxation in turn helps to enhance wellbeing.
There are many people who work either directly or indirectly with the tourism industry and who are therefore described as stakeholders. The benefits of tourism are largely related to said stakeholders in some way or another. Below are some examples of how stakeholders benefit from tourism, organised by economic, social, environmental and political gains; demonstrating the importance of tourism.
The importance of tourism: Economic gains
perhaps the most cited reason in reference to the importance of tourism is its economic value. Tourism can help economies to bring in money in a number of different ways. I have below provided some examples of the positive economic impacts of tourism.
Tourism expenditures generate income to the host economy. The money that the country makes from tourism can then be reinvested in the economy. How a destination manages their finances differs around the world; some destinations may spend this money on growing their tourism industry further, some may spend this money on public services such as education or healthcare and some destinations suffer extreme corruption so nobody really knows where the money ends up!
Some currencies are worth more than others and so some countries will target tourists from particular areas. Currencies that are strong are generally the most desirable currencies. This typically includes the British Pound, American, Australian and Singapore Dollar and the Euro.
Tourism is one of the top five export categories for as many as 83% of countries and is a main source of foreign exchange earnings for at least 38% of countries.
Contribution to government revenues.
The importance of tourism is also demonstrated through the money that is raised and contributed to government revenues.
Tourism can help to raise money that is then invested elsewhere by the Government. There are two main ways that this money is accumulated.
Direct contributions are generated by taxes on incomes from tourism employment and tourism businesses and things such as departure taxes.
According to the World Tourism Organisation,(WTO), the direct contribution of Travel and Tourism to GDP as at 2018 was $2,750.7billion (3.2% of GDP). This is forecast rose by 3.6% to $2,849.2billion in 2019, before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is affecting all revenue generating sectors globally.
Indirect contributions come from goods and services supplied to tourists which are not directly related to the tourism industry.
There is also the income that is generated through induced contributions. This accounts for money spent by the people who are employed in the tourism industry. This might include costs for housing, food, clothing and leisure activities amongst others. This will all contribute to an increase in economic activity in the area where tourism is being developed.
As crude oil which we all see as our mainstay as a country runs dry and gradually becoming almost useless, due to alternative sources of power, tourism remains waxing stronger as what we may leverage on, aside Agriculture.
