13th May, 2011
The Lagos State government said on Thursday that the Sunborn Yacht Hotel on the Lagos Lagoon will start functioning in 2012.
Mr. Tokunbo Afikunyomi, Commissioner for Tourism and Inter-Governmental Affairs, told journalists in Lagos the state government intended to reposition the state as an international destination for business and leisure.
Afikunyomi said that the Yacht, which was brought into the country from London about two years ago, would be rehabilitated and put to use by 2012.
He said that certain challenges, which he did not disclose, caused the delay in commissioning the floating hotel.
The commissioner said that in spite of the delay, the Yacht was still in good state.
Afikuyomi said that the Yacht was an innovation in hotel and hospitality concept and it would be the first floating hotel in Africa.
“The four-star floating hotel, originally owned by the City of London, was located at No. 1 Royal Victoria in the Docklands of London.
“The Yacht came to Lagos to turn around the state’s fortune in tourism and hospitality services,†he said.
Afikuyomi urged the public to see the hotel as means of unwinding and reducing stress.
“Lagosians should use the various cozy and beautiful terrains in Lagos for relaxation.
“These gardens are better than what we see in developed countries like Charlie Park in Germany and Willow in London, among others,†he said.
The commissioner said that state government had developed good network of roads, infrastructure and policy to boost tourism.
He said that the absence of good policies and guidelines on tourism, hotel registration, grading and classification had been the major challenges in the sector in the past.
“But the current administration has repositioned the state through infrastructure development that had attracted all brands of hotels from different parts of the world to the state.
He said that the state government had also embarked on human capacity development to ensure that workers acquire new skills to man the sector.