The Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture has said it would develop tourism within local communities through the Community-Based Tourism initiative.

According to a statement, the Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, disclosed this on Tuesday.

Akinbile-Yussuf was quoted to have said this during a media session to highlight the activities of the Ministry.

She said, “The idea behind Community-Based Tourism is to enable the exploration, access and development of tourism potential such as unique cultural practices, tradition and heritage within the local community.

“The pilot scheme of CBT has already kicked off in six local governments in the state across all the five divisions of the state. The essence is to sensitise the local communities of the critical tourism asset and how to harness them as well as the training of tour guides and operators.”

Akinbile-Yussuf further explained that the government cancelled the planned Lagos fiesta for the purpose of safety.

“The strategic intent of the state government in wanting to hold the fiesta was to accelerate the process of refloating the economy of Lagos state by putting money in the hands of our people through the deluge of commercial activities planned to take place during the fiesta. But the imperatives of protecting the lives of our people clearly override all economic and commercial considerations,” she added.