Our conversations : The Need To Reform Our Tourism Industry.

  I sat across in my favorite restaurant, to wait for the rain to turn into a drizzle.  The heavy rains have flooded the sidewalks with puddles of rain water, you had to hop across them. I was sitting opposite the glass windows watching the sidewalks, this old man, was next to me eating beans and plantains with Vegetable soup, it was the weirdest combination of food.  I have reached out for the newspapers that laid on the table, obviously not Vanguard -my favorite paper, I started to flip through, my eyes dart out at the headlines. 

"Are you from around here ". A voice asked, and I raised my head to see the old man, talk to me.  Then, I noticed how pilowy his cheeks were, and nodded. An awkward silence over our heads. 

 "Where are you from? " A conservation between us drew up. 

  Actually, I love our talks in between our thread of little giggles, as we talked about slavery, photography , the African hairstyles, and tourism.  I felt my soul through our conversations, it has happened again, a conversation with an older man, usually matured and a lot to learn. He told me about his travel experiences in Abia state, places, I  didn't know existed, the New Mexico tour, and lot of exciting places. I was in awe, and probably it hit me how tourism business was bigger than just travels, this can actually boost our local economy. 

 In the past, we had focus on tourism, but lost our focus to the oil boom, and internally we basically ignored our tourism industry. Apparently, a few individuals are trying to reinstate this industry, and put out a good statements for us just like in the past where we had foreigners swarm into our states. 

 Our hotels are in shambles, there were resorts, in the past, where Tourists came to relax and lounge in for a night or maybe more, visiting from another country or state, recently it feels the focus is on the supply of sex workers, and just maybe center for events.

 We can boost our tourism industry locally too apart from attracting foreigners, we have travel enthusiasts, but often times, they are not aware of places, really cool places in various states. The places we think don't really exist, do exist, we are not just harnessing the industry enough to attract both the locals and foreigners. 

 Why do we need to reform the tourism industry?  Tourism can solve the problems of unemployment,  hotels, tourist attraction centres, and hospitality spots, can generate much than needed jobs.  But with few individuals into tourism, fewer jobs are generated, because lack of confidence in the hotel or tourist business. 

 The returns from crude oil has been what Nigeria relies on for its Gross Domestic Product. We have overdependent on oil, but if we refocus on tourism management, this can actually boost our returns on GDP, our local economy. 

Moreover, it can generate increased foreign direct investments, we will have this investors trying to build international hotel brands. 

  This is the mind of a literary writer. 

   Our conversations, made me know, how I want to write and travel. Vacations should be something more natural among us, there is a lot to discover, a lot of culture and arts. Employers should encourage this art, and have their employees go on vacations, it is a vitality.  

Travel is bae.