FG to Establish Museums in Communities to Promote Tourism – TheNigerialawyer

The Federal Government has proposed plans to set up community
museums as part of efforts to ensure that local communities benefit
from tourism.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,
announced the plan on Thursday at the ongoing 4th World
UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture in Kyoto,
Japan.

”In Nigeria, we observed that tourists stay in the big cities
when they visit. They visit the museums in the cities where objects
gotten from different parts, including the rural areas, are
displayed but they hardly go to the rural areas.

”To encourage tourists to visit the rural areas where money
spent is quickly reflected in the local economy, we are trying to
establish community museums,” said the Minister, who served as one
of the panellists at the Ministerial Segment of the conference,
dedicated to discussing and exchanging policies and government
models impacting the future of cultural tourism.

Alhaji Mohammed said the government will, in particular,
encourage the establishment of palace museums.

”Parts of ancient residencies of traditional rulers and
important chiefs are being turned to museums. Thus, we are not
limiting museums to the big cities. Money spent by tourists while
visiting these rustic places stay longer in these areas. Lamido
Adamawa now has the Fombina Palace museum, just like the Emir of
Potiskum has palace museum,” he said.

The Minister said the government, through high-level
representation, training of festival managers and the provision of
enabling environment, is supporting and promoting festivals and
cultural
tourism all over the country, with the ultimate goal of ensuring
that local communities benefit from such events.

He said that a national calendar of festivals will soon be
unveiled to assist tourists who are coming to Nigeria in planning
their visits.

Alhaji Mohammed said that Nigeria has continued to leverage on
the areas in which it enjoys comparative advantage, citing music,
movies and fashion as some of such areas.