The Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, has met with key tourism and hospitality stakeholders ahead of the December festive season.
According to the government, the engagement is part of efforts to ensure a smooth, well-coordinated, and hitch-free celebration as the state prepares for increased visitor traffic and various social activities associated with the Yuletide and year-end festivities.
Speaking at the Tourism Stakeholders’ Engagement Summit held at the Lagos Continental Hotel, Victoria Island, with the theme “Unlocking the Potentials and Opportunities of Lagos Tourism: Collaboration and Partnership for a Greater Lagos,” the Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Toke Benson-Awoyinka, noted that the state has, over the years, developed various initiatives to explore new and sustainable tourism opportunities through strategic collaborations.
She explained that the purpose of the summit is to deepen partnerships across the tourism, entertainment, and hospitality value chains, enhance service delivery, and boost Lagos’ competitiveness as a top destination.
“The theme for today’s gathering, captures the core of our collective mandate. The future of tourism in Lagos depends on strong alliances, shared responsibilities, and a unified commitment to innovation, sustainability, and destination development.
“Lagos is blessed with immense tourism value. It is home to people from across Nigeria and the world, creating a rich cultural mosaic celebrated through festivals, events, arts, cuisine, and entertainment. The continued positioning of Lagos as a top international destination for leisure, business, and cultural experience is a collective effort, and your roles are indispensable.” she said.
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The Commissioner mentioned that the event reflects the Lagos State Government’s commitment to positioning itself as a leading, globally competitive tourism destination, stressing that an enabling environment has been provided to support investment, innovation, and global best standards in the sector.
According to her “Today’s conversations are designed to generate practical insights that will assist in enhancing our infrastructure, safety, strengthening regulatory frameworks, elevating service standards, and improving promotional strategies.
“These insights are critical as Lagos continues to attract growing local and international interest. We must ensure that our systems are efficient, inclusive, and responsive to the evolving needs of a dynamic global tourism industry.”
Safety measures
In his presentation, the Director General, Lagos State Safety Commission, Mr Lanre Mojola who was represented by Mrs Olubunmi Jegede of the commission stated that safety of fun seekers during December and beyond is of paramount importance to the commission, as it has continuously engaged critical stakeholders on how to ensure adherence to safety standards.
While emphasising on the emergency response measures, he said “Event organizers are required to have a functional emergency response plan, which includes: presence of trained safety marshals, availability of functional ambulance on site and or retainer, fire fighting equipment as well as clear emergency exits and evacuation routes”
He however assured that the commission would embark on pre‑event safety audits, deployment of tourism safety marshals to events and community engagement and public alerts towards increased safety measures across the state in order to prevent unwanted occurrences and crowd-related incidents during December celebration.
Traffic Management
In his submission, the Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Oluwaseun Osiyemi and his counterpart in the Waterfront Development Dayo Alebiosu assured residents and visitors coming into the state of a beautiful experience as he promised several initiatives that would make festive period memorable and refreshing.
Similarly, the General Manager, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki assured that his agency would deploy over 2,000 officers on Lagos road to take care of major routes on the Island, Lekki-Epe, Victoria Island and Ajah.
“I am giving the assurance that those who are coming from the diaspora have seamless mobility during the December period,” he said.
Panelists took turns to dissect issues around traffic management, waterfront and beach tourism, hospitality and the business of tourism in Lagos among others and they all agreed that concerted effort must be made to synergise operations during the December period in order to optimally unlock the potentials and opportunities therein.
Others including the Lagos Ferry Service, LAGFERRY, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA), Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, (LASEPA), Lagos State Waterways Authority, (LASWA) among others called for compliance at all levels to achieve the state’s vision for a seamless and memorable December.