Tourism is globally recognised as tool for poverty reduction - Olumoko

For over three decades, Otunba Ayodele Michael Olumoko has garnered an excellent reputation in Marketing Communications. Cutting his teeth at Ideas Communications and eventually setting up shop with his brand, Infogem, which found fame as marketing and branding specialists for Nigerian cultural festivals, particularly the Osun Osogbo Festival, Olumoko, a member of the prestigious Institute of Directors and past president of the Rotary Club tells Vanessa Obioha how he hopes to draw from his deep involvement in cultural tourism to drive economic growth in Nigeria, if elected President of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) in its impending election

Can you discuss the role of cultural tourism as a tool to reduce extreme poverty?

Tourism as a result of its labour-intensive nature, wide geographical spread, and the ease with which for many poor people can join other industries to offer unlimited opportunities to host communities to sell their goods and services. This has been generally recognized as a tool for poverty alleviation by both the World Bank, UNWTO, and countries. These same reasons that make tourism a poverty reduction tool generally applies also in specific term to cultural tourism. If you take the Durbar or Eyo festivals for example, whenever they are held, the host community do not only diversify but also supplement their sources of income for the period and the local economy is stimulated with very positive contributions financially and otherwise to the people and the host community.

What cultural elements are important to highlight on a tourist destination branding?

The cultural elements that should be highlighted for tourist destination branding should include heritage, monuments, artifacts contemporary art works, culture, architecture, performing arts, literature and visual arts, cuisines, traditions, folklore, the creative industries which includes entertainment, fashion, film amongst others.

Nigeria’s world heritage sites are largely on paper, what can be done to drive global and local traffic to these destinations?

To drive global and local traffic to Nigeria’s world heritage sites and to take due advantage and benefits of these UNESCO designated sites practical steps must be taken to improve the country’s and location perception of these sites, the road and access infrastructure to the sites, security profile of both the country generally and the location of these sites. In addition to ensuring proper community and public sector collaboration in the management of these sites as well as focused branding, marketing, and promotions.

How do you overcome the challenges of branding in marketing cultural tourism?

Technological and security interruptions and perceptions as well as the impact of social media are some of the emerging but serious branding challenges that are presenting themselves amongst others in the marketing of cultural tourism. In the face of these and other challenges, it has become imperative now more than ever before to put on the ingenious cap of innovation and creativity including adopting various specialized marketing strategies; effective and result oriented use of technology and adoption of ingenious marketing options including more collaborations locally and internationally to reinforce one’s services.

It is important at this point in time to step up on customer review of their experience as well management of social media credibility rating and online reputation, politeness in online communications or discussions

To do this objectively is to be transparent, objective, and open to criticisms and feedback.

Can you justify the importance of domestic and foreign tourists in growing a country’s tourism market?

While international tourism to which foreign tourists refer, no doubt has its numerous benefits. One of these important benefits is that it generates foreign exchange earnings. I wish to state here that, I, Otunba, Ayodele Olumoko, belong to the block that has total believe and commitment to the development, promotion, and focus on domestic tourism. This is not just because that it is now a fast-growing global trend but also because of my deep involvement in using cultural tourism to help drive tourism growth in Nigeria.

Recent travel restrictions occasioned by COVID-19 and the growing global incidents of terrorism; the accompanying negative travel advisories have proven that domestic tourism is the way to grow a country’s tourism market. Even the UNWTO recognizes this fact hence its advice to both developed and developing countries to promote domestic tourism for the opportunity it offers for the recovery of countries from the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further to this, a 2020 documented research by Forbes Kabote, has shown that domestic tourism means so many things in one to a country. This includes being her tourism ambassador, information bureaus, role model, and tour guides in addition to playing no mean role in a country’s sustainable tourism growth

What do you think motivates cultural tourists?

I will start by explaining what cultural tourism is about. Cultural tourism has to do with that aspect of tourism in which persons move or travel to cultural attractions, be they monuments, heritage, artistic sites, history museums or even festivals, away from their normal places of residence, with the aim of gathering new information, knowledge, and experiences to satisfy their cultural needs. These needs may be new cultural encounters, a new level of awareness about a particular cultural destination, or cultural events.

Back to your question of what motivates cultural tourists, you can see that the travel or movement of a cultural tourist to a destination is one that is culturally motivated such as cultural tours, travel to festivals and cultural events such as the New Yam Festival in South-east Nigeria, Osun Osogbo and Olojo festivals in South-west Nigeria or the Durbar in the North or a study tour of the Palace of an Emir, Igwe, or Oba just to mention a few. In summary, therefore, what motivates the cultural tourists are his or her need to visit cultural attractions, get to know about new cultures, partake in the cultural events of his destination of visit or travel. It can, therefore, be said that the greatest motivation for the cultural tourist is the urge to connect to local and authentic indigenous and community-based cultural experiences.

How do you think a synergy can be created between businesses and the community with the purpose of understanding its environment and culture?

In my several years as a Cultural Tourism Consultant first; as the Chief Festival Consultant to UNESCO-listed Osun Osogbo for over 20 years and Cultural Consultant to Ooni of Ife since 2016, I can say that to create a synergy between business and community with the purpose of understanding its environment and culture has to do with educating the people and making them aware of intrinsic and commercial values of protecting and preserving the heritage, monuments, artifacts of the past as well as making the locals understand the need to place a value on their contemporary culture, such as architecture performing arts, literature and visual arts, cuisine, traditions, folklore, the creative industries (entertainment, fashion, film, etc.). If this is done continuously and on a sustainable basis, then the elements of branding, promotions and marketing must be brought in to make the synergy worth the while and be result-oriented. A typical example of how the application of these elements can transform the cultural fortune of a destination and bring this synergy to bear on the lot of cultural tourism destinations is the transformation of the ancient Olojo Festival in Ile Ife, by His Royal Majesty, Arole Oduduwa, Olofin Adimule Oonirisa Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja 11 into a huge domestic tourism traffic generator with all its attached benefits to the people, the community, and the socio-political economy of the state. A visit to the Olojo gives the tourist a feel of the high level of awareness among the people about their role in tourism development of the city of Ile-Ife.

What are some of the most shocking experiences you have in creating awareness among tourists for local cultures?

Some of the shocking experiences I have had in creating awareness among tourists for local cultures include the threat to local cultural identity. These come in various forms. One of such is the tendency of the tourists to exploit the host community for their own profit both commercially, socially, and otherwise. I have seen cases where foreign tour operators, induce and or encourage the locals to adopt the use of exaggerated effects for the cultural presentation of their products. If this goes undiscovered and widespread, it has the capacity to make the local community ultimately lose the value of their cultural offerings and the high value the cultural tourist places on the authentic experiences of their stay.

What advice will you give to traditional authorities to enhance collaboration with festival planning teams?

My advice will essentially include: Engaging the local communities in the festival planning processes; creating awareness of the benefits of tourism and indeed cultural tourism as a driver of economic benefit growth and inculcating a sense of pride in locals as it concerns their cultural values and authenticity when engaging in activities relating to the festival under reference.