The Cross River State Governor Senator Bassey Otu has explained his administration’s emphasis on investment in hotels, saying the administration is investing in hotels to scale up their capacity and ensure visitors have a memorable experience in the state.
Governor Otu disclosed this in Calabar during the presentation of grants to hotels in the Northern and Southern Senatorial District of the State alongside grants to a select number of restaurants.
Represented by his Deputy, Chief of Staff Boniface Okache, Governor Otu said with Cross River also a leader in the tourism industry in the country, there is the need to sustain such leadership in the entire hospitality sector.
“We understand clearly that tourism is synonymous with Cross River State and also we lead the tourism industry in Nigeria.
” We are also aware that as we look forward to this year’s carnival, hotels in the state will experience an influx of visitors.
“We have decided to assist them with this grant to help them upgrade their facilities so that with their expected influx, visitors can have a memorable experience in the State,” he said.
Giving some insight into the grant, Chairman of the Cross River State Tourism Bureau, Prince Ojoi Ekpenyong said “10 hotels in the Northern senatorial district of the State will get one N1m each.
“Similarly, 10 hotels in the southern senatorial district will also get N1m each.
” Beyond this, 15 bars and restaurants in the State will each receive a grant of five hundred thousand naira,” he said, adding that within the past year, the government has doled out over N55m grants to hotels across the State.
On his part, Ekpenyong Akiba, the Special Adviser to the Governor on General Duties, said the government is deliberate and intentional about development and tourism is one of the platforms to actualise this.
