FG backs MyCityApp 100-day tourism calendar to drive creative economy growth
The Federal Government has endorsed the launch of MyCityApp, a Nigerian city discovery and tourism platform designed to aggregate festivals, concerts and lifestyle experiences into a single digital calendar.
The platform was unveiled on Monday at the Ember2Remember National Stakeholders’ Conference in Victoria Island, Lagos, where it also flagged off a 100-day tourism calendar aimed at unlocking Nigeria’s $100 billion tourism and creative economy.
The conference brought together public and private sector stakeholders to explore ways of turning the September-to-December festive season into jobs, investments and economic growth.
The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, said millions of visitors travel to Nigeria each year to celebrate, reconnect and spend time across different cities and communities.
Musawa said the festive period could be deliberately organised and promoted to create more economic opportunities, noting that visitors generate value across aviation, transportation, hospitality, entertainment, retail, technology, artisans and local communities.
She called on state governments, event organisers, tourism operators, hospitality businesses and other stakeholders to upload their festivals, concerts, exhibitions, cultural celebrations, food experiences, fashion events, sporting activities and other programmes scheduled for September to December on the national calendar.
The CEO of MyCityApp, Ifeoma Chukwu, said Nigeria’s rich culture and creative industries provided an opportunity to turn visitors’ experiences into economic value, citing the contribution of tourism to the economies of Spain, France and the United States. She said the $100 billion tourism economy target was achievable, asking, “So, the question is not whether a $100 billion tourism economy is possible. It is: why not Nigeria?”
Stakeholders at the event included the Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Toke Benson-Awoyinka; Enugu State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Ugochi Madueke; Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture, Obi Asika; Director-General, National Gallery of Art, Ahmed Sodangi; Director-General, Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, Olalekan Fadolapo; and MTN Nigeria CEO, Karl Toriola.
