Reprinted from address given in Abuja, Nigeria in December 2000
Good afternoon, my name is Wayne King, my company Moosewood Communications has been working here in West Africa, in various capacities for more than 3 years now. We have experienced Nigeria during the dark days of Sani Abacha and now during these days of hope and Democracy. Always we have returned because we see great potential here.
My task today is to speak briefly about the Communications and media perspectives of eco-tourism in Africa, most specifically I intend to focus on Nigeria because it would be presumptious for me to speak about other areas of Africa with which I am not familiar.
The title of this paper - LET NIGERIA BE NIGERIA - reflects what I see as the best way for Nigeria to effectively present itself in the media and through various other means of communication.
Surely during the course of this convention you will have those who will make extravagant suggestions about the things that need to be done to make Nigeria eco-tourist friendly. Many of those will be legitimate issues and will likely focus on things that the government needs to do to create a tourist friendly environment. But if you wait for government to make large changes, particularly those that involve infrastructure, it will be ten to twenty years before you will begin to see results.
My suggestion is that you continue to exert pressure on the government to make these kind of changes but that you turn dramatically to the private sector for short term effectiveness and action.
The private sector must not wait for government to take action. They must lead. They must lead the charge for a cultural transformation that is true to indigenous values.
In short, this means not trying to cater to those who seek the comfort of the French Riviera or the five star hotels of southern California. It means carving out a niche that is comfortable NOW and building on successes as you go.
Let me give you an example
I love Lagos. I have never been in a city where the spirit of entrepreneurship is more obvious than it is in the city of Lagos. But lets face it, Lagos is not for the faint of heart. Lagos is a place that is alive 24 hours a day. If I was going to construct a media campaign around Lagos, I would build an "in-your-face" tourism campaign. At the heart of that campaign would be the slogan "Lagos Nigeria . . . and You Think New York Never Sleeps?". It would be a campaign aimed not at the tea and crumpets crowd, but at the traveler seeking adventure and excitement.
For many of you, I am probably only telling you what you know in your hearts and believe to be true, so I hope that you will indulge me for a few minutes more to expand on my thoughts.
One of the rules of politics, which I know a little bit about as a "recovering politician", is a rule that translates very neatly into other aspects of public relations and communications, that rule is - Play to your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.
There are over 300 million people in the USA alone, to say nothing of Europe, Japan and other nations where many people vacation regularly in other places. A nation need only carve out a small piece of this travel pie to succeed magnificently. So, one must ask: Which piece do you want to carve out? In the US for example, there are hundreds of thousands of travelers who choose adventure travel over the more relaxed (and I would suggest mundane) alternatives. There are people who spend thousands of dollars to work on a ranch in Montana, or to adventure into the jungles of South America. These people are not expecting five star hotels, quiet beaches or even an uncrowded drive from the airport. They want to have an experience that they will be able to tell others about for years to come. These are the people you want to get your message out to.
The beauty of this approach is that it does indeed play to your strengths. It also allows you to minimize your weaknesses by incorporating them into the adventure. In short, you can tell them the truth about how wild the Lagos airport is and they will look forward to the experience!
Follow this up with a trip to Osun Grove or the peaceful atmosphere of Abakaliki and they will have a well rounded adventure that will have them talking about their trip to Nigeria for years to come. What better way is there to assure that more and more adventurers travel here.
Couple this approach, with a longer term vision about making the kinds of infrastructural changes that promise to provide comfort for the more staid traveler and you will create long-term sustainable eco-tourism that need not wait for government action - but is able to respond to the changing landscape in a way that provides consistent and constant opportunities for eco-tourists and valuable income for Nigerians.
Presentation to the African Travel Association
The Honorable Wayne D. King
Rumney, NH USA
12/9/2000
