World Tourism Day 2021: Goge Africa Organises Cruise

Justina Uzo

As Nigeria joined the rest of the world to celebrate the United Nations’ World Tourism Day last Monday, tourism operators and tourism-reliant businesses, as well as states and national tourism organisations, organised activities to celebrate tourism, which is a veritable tool to reduce poverty and foster unity.

Since 1980, the United Nations World Tourism Organization has celebrated World Tourism Day as international observances on September 27.

In Lagos State, Goge Africa, through its Goge Africa Travel Club, organised a boat cruise, which afforded the group and other participants the opportunity to explore Lagos State aquatic splendour. The organisation, which partnered firms, such as KumChop Afrikana, Bestmangames Limited, Tarzan Jetty and Kizomba Nigeria, to explore the hidden and serene part of Lagos away from the hustle and bustle of the metropolis
They proposed more usage of water transportation, saying it would reduce the traffic gridlock on Lagos roads.
They regretted that even though 22% of Lagos State is water, residents are yet to explore the full benefits of the huge endowment.

With the theme of the World Tourism Day 2021 on Tourism calling for Inclusive Growth, the Managing Director of Goge Africa, Mrs. Nneka Isaac-Moses, said the choice of the boat cruise was a strategic move to promote the hidden tourism offerings of Lagos through boat cruise experience. She explained that it was important to seek alternative means of transportation across Lagos State.

She said: The boat cruise was fun and an exciting time for the participants, as it featured activities such as music and dancing, as well as networking opportunities.
Another participant, Rachel Adamu expressed her excitement, pointing out that the boat cruis
e was something new and unique. “Boat cruise creates an atmosphere for enjoyment of games, interaction and networking,” she noted.

Apart from the interactions, Adamu disclosed that there was so much to eat and drink as the participants danced and savoured the delight of the boat cruise which took them through the nooks and crannies of Lagos waters.

One of the beneficiaries of the recent Goge Africa tourism training, who was also there, Banji Alfred, said the cruise was remarkable and memorable. He explained that he identified with it because such events “sensitise the people on the need to explore water transportation not just for leisure but in a bid to ease the traffic situation of the state.”

Generally, people enjoined tour operators in the country to focus on water leisure and package and sell cruises. According to them, it will expose more people to the “beauty of tourism destinations through the waterways.
A boat cruise, most of them said, “Opens up the beautiful but hitherto unnoticed parts of our country which can be used as locations for future productions, for example.”

While Francisca Onarinde of BestManGames, one of the event partners, advised that such event “should happen more often and by so doing everyone will have a chance to experience it to unwind, relax and have fun.”