Gloria Ehichanya Abiodun, the Chief Executive Officer of Clyymaxx Heritage Travels and Tours Limited, talks on how partnership between NATOP and Lagos State Government has brought positive changes in the tourism, travels and tours sector, among other salient issues. Charles Ajunwa brings excerpts
The National Association of Tour Operators recently unveiled the first national Secretariat in Lagos after 10 years of its existence. What’s your take?
I feel excited. In fact, this milestone is worth celebrating. First, I want to thank our National President Bolaji Mustapha, her executives and all NATOP members for bringing this to fruition. Secondly, I want to also thank the Lagos State Government through the Commissioner for Tourism, Arts Culture, Mrs. Toke Benson-Awoyinka, for the state’s collaboration and partnership with NATOP which contributed immensely to our having an office along Opebi Oregun Link Bridge, Ikeja. Our 2026 Annual General Meeting is hosted by Lagos State for the second time. Without mincing words, Lagos has never had it this good where a Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture through hard work and focus has continued to deliver on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration’s core agenda for the tourism, arts and culture sector. She has truly put Lagos on the global map. The commissioner’s tireless efforts also contributed to the success of Detty December where Lagos generated an estimated economic impact of N396.54 billion (approximately $250 million) from tourism, hospitality and entertainment. Because of these achievements, today there is strong collaboration between the Lagos State Government and Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy to expand and fine tune Detty December in order to generate more revenues for the state in particular and country in general.
How have you been promoting tourism?
I have been in this business for the past 10 years, and we are into all travel-related services. We focus more on inbound and outbound tours. We organise school tours and personalised tours depending on what the clients really want. So, what we consider most is the affordability, and pocket-friendly packages. When the client comes to us, we are able to work it out, so that at the end of the day the client would have value for what he or she is paying for. We do not compromise with our policy and values. That has been something that has really worked for us especially when we get referrals from past services to our clients. Another way we promote tourism in Nigeria, is that when we visit some tourists’ sites across the country, we first check how attractive those sites are because a lot of Nigerians are used to going outside the country to spend their holidays because our government has not really focused on showcasing and maintaining some of the tourists’ sites. Last year, as a tour operator, we were opportune to go to Ondo State. There’s a beach resort they want to build there and I see that as an opportunity. So, what I do is to follow up with the contacts I have there. Whenever that resort is ready, I will be able to sell it to my clients. Other places I have been to like Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort in Ekiti, where I took real-life pictures to be able to sell to my clients for first-time experience. Other beautiful sites include the War Museum in Umuahia, Ojukwu Bunker, Azumiri Blue River, Long Juju of Arochukwu all in Abia State, Awhum Waterfall, Ngwo Pine Forest and Cave, Udi Hill, Nike Lake Resort in Enugu State, and Obudu Ranch in Cross River State. All these are inbound. For outbound, we normally take tours to Kenya, Cathar, Egypt, Zanzibar and other countries. Currently, I have clients that will be going to African countries with huge tourism potential and they will be having some good experience. Getting their visa was easy because they are not too rigid. But one major problem we notice is that most clients don’t have required documents. We advise them to go to countries that are easily accessible. If the client is a first-time traveller, we also take our time to advise our clients on A-list countries they can go to. So, while you are building your travelling history into those countries that are easily accessible, we also help to guide on what to put in place so that you will be qualified to go to these A-list countries like UK, Canada, and US, or Schengen countries. But for now, we try as much as we can to encourage most Nigerians and foreigners to visit our tourist sites here. You see, the major challenge we have now is the information going on in the social media concerning security. So, you need to talk and talk and talk to convince clients. There is the cost of security. By the time you now want to build in the cost of security, it makes the package look somehow expensive. So, that is basically the challenge.
How are you able to cope with the tough business environment now?
Honestly, it has not really been easy. The only area that has helped us is referrals. These referrals for now have been helping us in order to encourage foreigners to visit Nigeria for tourism. By God’s grace, foreigners have been coming. Also, immigration has made it easy with this E-Visa. The conditions they give foreigners are a bit favourable.
What are you doing in the area of educational tourism?
Actually, when I started in the travel industry, we were doing more of educational tourism. What we do basically is that we go to schools and we give the schools orientation that the children should start building their travel history while they are still young, so that it will be easier for them in future.
For now, the only challenge we are having is just the security issue. Typically, Nigerian parents are so conscious of the safety of their children. There’s much headway concerning that. But when we used to do it, we focused more on Olumo Rock in Abeokuta. That is where we normally take our children to.
Thanks for the trains. The train facility in Lagos has become much better. Initially, we used to have a challenge. We might take the children by train. By the time we wanted to come back, we found out that the train was not working. We make arrangements to take them back on the bus by road. When we do that, it becomes an issue with the parents. We are now trusting to go to two more educational tours within Nigeria for now because the train services have improved. With time, we start taking them abroad.
What should be done to enhance tourism in Nigeria?
It needs sponsorships. Those of us that are taking it as a career, they should be able to give us some sort of incentives to make it easier for us. Recently, we are having serious challenges at the airport due to high standards set by the Immigration, especially if the people we are taking out are first-timers. So, they assume that we will not come back with them. Sometimes, we call NATOP president to intervene on our behalf. I think we need to have a solid structure whereby as long as you are a registered and recognised operator, they should give us some leverage. Once we are able to confirm our identity and authenticity, they should just give us leverage. Once the government is able to do that, by collaborating with the immigration and the police, then we are good to go. The government should also help us maintain some of our tourist sites. For example, Obudu Ranch in Calabar, Cross River State, after Governor Duke left, they have not really been taking care of that place. So, we actually need the government to put in more effort so that that place will be maintained.