23rd August, 2014
The Special Adviser on Culture and Tourism to Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun, Oladipo Soyode, on Friday said that tourism would fetch the state government huge revenue by 2016.
Soyode made the remark at a media briefing at the Osun Osogbo Festival, noting that over 1,000 yet-to be-tapped tourist attractions were in the state.
“Out of the 1,000 tourist sites that the state is proud of, we have only developed just a few.
“The few tourist sites that are developed have brought about development in the state, and have also attracted a lot of tourists into Osun.
“Part of the development is the Osun Osogbo Festival. We have not started enjoying the money spent in developing the tourist sites yet; but with time, we will enjoy it.
“The first thing the government is doing is to develop the attractions to world standard before it starts to think of income from the investment,” Soyode said.
Soyode highlighted some of the tourist sites that had been upgraded to include Erin-Ijesha Waterfall, the Oba’s Palace, parks and monuments, the state museums, heritage sites and ancient historical buildings, among others.
“The industry is fast-growing and the gesture of the government is to create employment opportunities for the people and to eradicate poverty,” he said.
Soyode said the state government would collaborate with private investors to exploit the tourism potential in the state.