September 27, (THEWILL) – Despite the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the travels and tours sector, the Chairman, Dover Hotel, Barr Jackson Abbah, has revealed that the pandemic also brought a positive impact on indigenous hotels.
In a meeting with journalists in Lagos, Abbah disclosed that a new trend has emerged where people are reluctant to travel overseas on vacation because of the frustration of COVID-19 protocols that entail undergoing a period of quarantine once you travel to another location.
In view of this, he explained that most people now embark on internal travels where they lodge in a hotel with their families for of one week to a month.
According to him, this has opened the eyes of many to the fact that there are indigenous hotels in Nigeria, especially in Lagos, Owerri, Kano and Abuja, with standard and competitive facilities obtainable outside the country, adding that it is equally cheaper as travel costs have been considerably reduced.
He said, “Due to COVID-19, there is a new trend. Frustrated by the protocols of quarantining when they travel to other countries, people are now travelling from one part of the country to another and they lodge in hotels. It is more or less like a vacation for them, whether they stay one week or one month.
“It is also cheaper for them in terms of costs. They save costs. Most travellers are now realising that the facilities and services that they enjoy in hotels abroad can also be found in hotels located in Lagos and Abuja, Owerri and Kano at rates that are by far cheaper.”
He said that an upsurge in hotels all over the country, even with high patronage, is expected as long as human beings travel from one point to another and they need a place to lodge to transact their business.
“To answer why you have a large number of people using hotels, my response is always simple: as long as human beings travel; leave their location, whether for a business or leisure, the fact remains that they will continue to patronise hotels.
“You do not carry your accommodation to the next travel place and it is not all the time you go to a location that you’re going to see a relative or friend that can accommodate you. So you are forced to patronise a hotel which is created mainly for that purpose.
“So what you see happening is that people get into a town for a burial ceremony, naming ceremony or business, they need a place to stay and depending on their budget they will look for a place that is relative to their budget.
“Some people travel from neighbouring West African countries to buy stuff in Nigeria. When they come they have to pass the night in a place that is relative to their budget. So when you realise that, you’ll know that everybody is in business and that makes the hotel business competitive,” he explained.
Continuing, Abbah pointed out that the increasing number of hotels in Nigeria is a plus to the economy as the sub-sector makes a huge contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.
He explained that hotels create a chain of employment to the masses, ranging from farmers to transporters and market sellers because a greater percentage of agricultural products are consumed in hotels.
About the Author
Sam Diala is a Bloomberg Certified Financial Journalist with over a decade of experience in reporting Business and Economy. He is Business Editor at THEWILL Newspaper, and believes that work, not wishes, creates wealth.
