The Lagos State Government, on Thursday, brought together stakeholders, including tourism operators, investors, creatives and regulators, to strengthen collaboration and unlock the state’s tourism potential.
The stakeholders were from both the public and private sectors, including the Lagos State Transportation and Monitoring Authority, Lagos State Waterways Authority, and hospitality and tourism practitioners.
The event, Tourism Stakeholders Engagement Summit, was organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MTAC) on Thursday in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was with the theme, ‘Unlocking the Potential and Opportunities of Lagos Tourism: Collaboration and Partnership for A Greater Lagos.’
The summit was aimed at discussing strategies for building a sustainable, investment-driven tourism economy.
The Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Toke Benson-Awoyinka, said the gathering was evident of the state’s commitment to positioning Lagos as a leading, globally competitive tourism destination.
The commissioner noted that the state was home to a rich cultural mosaic expressed through festivals, arts, cuisine and entertainment, and blessed with immense tourism value.
She, however said the state’s tourism vision required collaboration, shared understanding and continuous dialogue.
Benson-Awoyinka said the summit would strengthen partnerships across tourism, hospitality and entertainment, enhance service delivery and explore sustainable opportunities capable of driving long-term economic growth.
She further said the summit would help harness the vast potential within the tourism, entertainment and creative sectors.
“Your presence is evidence of your passion and commitment to building a vibrant, sustainable and investment-friendly tourism landscape, for Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole,
“The continued positioning of Lagos as a top destination for leisure, business and cultural experience is a collective effort, and your roles are indispensable,” she said.
She urged participants to see their roles as part of a long-term strategic plan, not just for the December festivities.
Also, the Director-General of the Lagos State Safety Commission (LSSC), Mr Lanre Mojola, said the agency’s mandate to regulate hospitality and entertainment facilities extended far beyond the festive season.
Mojola, who was represented by the Assistant Director, Event and Hospitality safety, Olubunmi Jegede, said the commission’s role was to oversee and enforce safety standards for recreational spaces, including hotels, bars, lounges, beach resorts and event centres.
He said LSSC ensured safety in the facilities through inspections, emergency preparedness checks and compliance certification.
Highlighting the commission’s Four Es of Safety, which are: Engineering, Education, Enforcement and Evaluation, Mojola said LSSC was intensifying facility registration, audits and event permit requirements.
“All hospitality establishments operating in Lagos State –such as hotels, restaurants, bars, lounges, nightclubs, shortlets, beach resorts, event centres and other recreational facilities – are required to register with LSSC,” he said.
Mojola said with the December festivities approaching, LSSC had put a crowd-ready safety strategy in place, including pre-event audits, deployment of trained tourism safety marshals, in partnership with MTAC, and community engagement on rules such as no-drugs, no-firearms and no-underage.
“By combining strict venue enforcement, visible on-ground marshals and a loud public-awareness drive, the commission is set to keep the festivities lively and safe,” he said.
The Managing Director of Lagos Ferry Services (LagFerry), Ladi Balogun, said Lagos’ extensive waterways, which connects 15 of the state’s 20 local governments, represented a major tourism and transport asset.
Balogun said the state was scaling up LagFerry, not only for the festive period but as a long-term mobility alternative.
He said the agency would inaugurate a Water Taxi Initiative in the coming weeks as a pilot scheme for the Ibeju-Lekki-Epe-Victoria Island corridor.
Balogun said it would help ease traffic and promote water transport as a credible and safe alternative.
He assured visitors of safety, adding that the state had recorded zero accidents on the waterway in recent times due to heavy government investment in modern ferries, structural upgrades and improved regulations.
NAN further reports that there were different panels, with stakeholders sharing insights and solutions to challenges in the sector.
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