The Lagos State Government has sensitised tourism officers and stakeholders to Community Based Tourism in order for residents to experience the best of the sector.

The Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, said this on Wednesday during a stakeholders’ workshop themed, ‘Importance and benefits of CBT,’ held in Alausa, Ikeja.

She said, “Community Based Tourism is part of what was presented in our master plan last year and we are deliberate about this, because unless we look inwards and harness all the potentials around tourism within our local areas, we will not attain much. That is the reason we got the approval of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to launch CBT in six Local Government Areas of the state.

“We have established this training in all the divisions of the state such as Ikorodu, Badagry, Ikeja, Oshodi-Isolo, Lagos Island and Eti-Osa, to enlighten the stakeholders, tourism officers, the communities and members of the Local Government Service Commission so they can share in our vision and understand what we seek to achieve and that is to give Lagosians the best of tourism.”

The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Adenike Adedoyin-Ajayi, urged stakeholders to promote traditional culture and heritage, saying this would boost the tourism sector.

“Every one of us here should become advocates for Lagos State tourism and to this end, we are to develop local contents that will promote the sector as laid down in our master plan through preservation of our culture, showcasing our heritage, and promoting our traditions through films, festivals and entertainment. We should stop emphasising the negatives about ourselves and present the positives,” she said.