Fashola Signs Law To Standardize Tourism, Hotel Practice In Lagos

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) on Monday, July 19th 2010, signed into law a bill for the regulation and standardization of the tourism sector including hotel practice in the State, saying the future holds much more than oil for major oil producing countries.

Governor Fashola who spoke at the Conference Room of the Lagos House, Ikeja added that this explains why such oil producing giants are now investing their oil proceeds to diversify away from oil and move into other sectors like Agriculture, knowledge based economy like Information Technology, Green Energy and Tourism.

According to Lagos state helmsman, “Lagos is one of those States that have the capacity to really diversify their economies towards the area of tourism and that is why we have spent so much of tax payers’ money trying to provide the environment that would support a growth of tourism”.

The Governor explained that tourism is about destination, saying if the people cannot get there, there is no tourism.

He added that this explains the massive construction of road network such as the Lagos Badagry Expressway and the Lekki-Epe Concession which are strategic investments to boost tourism and improve the economic possibilities that lie there.

“We have the same Atlantic Ocean that goes all the way round the West Coast and as far as Brazil; he also said “If Brazil is making money from the Atlantic, why are we not doing the same thing. Laws like this also exist in all those jurisdictions”.

Governor Fashola acknowledged that the tourism and hospitality sector of the economy is looking up and getting better by the day, citing the instances of many businesses that hitherto closed at 7pm but now extending till late in the night.

“More hotels have opened in Lagos in the last three years and more are still coming. It is important for us to be able to measure this growth. Legislations such as this will enable us, apart from reviewing some of the prescriptions here to bring them in conformity with current laws and have a data where it is possible to enable us know how many new people come into this economy or how many people it is employing”, the Governor added.

The Governor said in addition to the fact that it represents a way of self benchmarking; it would also help measure how many people are being employed in the tourism industry in order to empower Government to know how much more it has to do.

He also stated that, “We complain about unemployment, but we have not really opened up the economy of this state and its possibilities. For example, our Green Campaign has employed over 5000 people. We are also looking at solid waste management, waste water treatment and similar ones that have to be opened up. This is also an economic policy that can expand the economy”.

Governor Fashola thanked the members of the State House of Assembly for enacting the useful piece of legislation.

Earlier, while giving an insight into the bill, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Political and Legislative Matters, Hon AbdulHakeem AbdulLateef said the law will standardize the tourism sector as well as regulate hotel practice by amending the provisions of the hotel licensing law of 2003.

Hon AbdulHakeem disclosed that immediately the Governor assents to the bill; the hotel licensing law of 2003 becomes amended, adding the law has been expanded to include the regulation of tourism practice.

He explained that the former law which stipulates that no person shall operate or keep any brothel without obtaining license or permission from the Hotel and Tourism licensing authority has been amended to read that no person would be allowed to operate a hotel establishment or practice tourism in Lagos State in any premises without first obtaining the license of the authority.

He explained that the penalties prescribed under the former law are so outdated that it has witnessed high level of disobedience with maximum penalties ranging between N100 and N200 for offences.

The Special Adviser also said the new law has also given power to Hotel and Tourism Licensing Authority to standardize, regulate and grade the various hotels and tourism businesses operating in Lagos State in line with best practices.

He said the Commissioner responsible for managing the provisions of the new law is the Honourable Commissioner for Tourism and Inter-Governmental Relations.

The event was witnessed by members of the State Executive Council including the Commissioner for Tourism and Inter-Governmental Relations, Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi, the Chairman of the House of Assembly Committee on Local Government, Hon Onibiyo Adelabu, representatives of the National Association of Travel Agents and Association of Lagos Hoteliers.