Lagos Commissioner Promises To Promote Private Beach Owners

The Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, has expressed willingness of the Ministry to collaborate with owners of private beaches in Lagos, describing them as key stakeholders in the State’s hospitality sector.

She made the promise recently during an interactive session with private beach owners at Redline Leisure Beach Resort, Okun-Ajah Community Okun-Mapo, off Abraham Adesanya Roundabout, Lagos.

The Commissioner expressed satisfaction with the efforts of the beach owners along the axis for putting in place standard infrastructure capable of attracting and stimulating the interest of tourists.

Akinbile-Yussuf also promised to assist the beach owners in the area with government presence that will further enhance their operations and increase tourists’ accessibility to the beaches.

Part of the incentives, which the Ministry will give to the operators, according to the Commissioner, is in the area of publicity on the Ministry’s Website where most local and international tourists would be able to interface with the owners directly.

She said, “I want you to know that your operations complement what the Ministry is doing. You are very key in the area of attracting tourists to our State and as such we must ensure that your businesses thrive”.

The Commissioner explained that only registered establishments are given due recognition by the government, adding that anyone operating any hospitality establishment without registering with the State Government is regarded as an illegal operator.

Citing the instance of the N1 billion soft loans approved by the State Governor for the owners of businesses in the tourism, hospitality and entertainment sector, the Commissioner stated that one of the criteria for the beneficiaries is to be registered with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

She also mentioned the need to classify and grade the various beaches according to their facilities in order to give the beaches commensurate ratings that would guide visitors in making informed decisions when considering beach visitations.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Princess Adenike Adedoyin-Ajayi, remarked that the government is not interested in burdening the beach operators with unnecessary financial obligations, but implored the operators to regularise their business by registering with the Ministry.

Princess Adedoyin-Ajayi urged the beach owners to standardise their operations and bring their businesses to international standards for greater visibility to both local and international tourists.

The beach owners had earlier sought the intervention of the Ministry in the area of extending the tarred road in the area and assistance on the review of several fees and charges from the government.