Ibadan: Oyo State has recorded 12,228 investments in the hospitality sector from 1,328 hospitality businesses operating in the state before the advent of the Governor Seyi Makinde-led administration.
Dr Wasiu Olatunbosun, the State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, disclosed this during an inter-ministerial briefing organised by the state governor’s media unit.
Olatunbosun attributed the increase and many other positive results to the commitment of Gov. Seyi Makinde’s administration to developing the tourism sector.
He noted that the turnaround in the tourism sector had also led to an increased tourist influx, as well as a significant boost in the hospitality sector.
According to him, approximately 18,459 visitors enter the state daily, compared to 1,604 recorded before the administration took office in 2019.
He lauded the efforts of Governor Makinde in promoting culture, tourism, and preserving Yoruba traditional heritage in Oyo State.
The commissioner maintained that recognition and enlistment of the World Sango Festival as an intangible cultural heritage site by UNESCO was a laudable achievement of the present government.
He stated that all the government’s achievements in the last six years in the Culture and Tourism Sector had boosted the state’s internally generated revenue, noting that the increase in investments would automatically bring more revenue to the state.
The commissioner also hinted that the agency was planning to embark on the rehabilitation of selected tourist sites and historic monuments through a public-private partnership arrangement.
He expressed optimism that such a partnership arrangement would further boost the state’s economy.