Destination Development and
Institutionalization Strategies
In the OIC Member Countries
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Major Markets
Themain source of visitors is domestic – primarily fromLagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. However, the UK and
China are notable international source markets.348
2. DMO Governance and Organizational Structure
The Cross River tourism bureau is a publicly-owned entity, reporting to the Governor of cross river state,
and tasked with regulating the tourism sector in the state, as well as for attracting tourists through its role
as a DMO.
The Bureau has a staff of 37 full time staff and two part-time staff.
The bureau is further divided into five departments with separate roles and responsibilities related to
tourism development in Cross River.
1. Operations department: Manages operations with the private sector stakeholders (site and
attraction owners). The government invests in these ventures as well and are engaged in product
development strategies for the development of state level tourism.
2. Marketing department: In charge of promotions and marketing to increase traffic to the state and
highlight investment opportunities to prospective investors.
3. Corporate Services department: Manage the administrative body of the tourism bureau and is in
charge of any administrative related functions.
4. Research & planning department: In charge of research analysis and identify projects and
partnership opportunities that tourism bureau can venture into.
5. Executive department: This is the managing director’s office which is the executive arm of the
bureau, responsible for the execution of the state level strategic policies related to tourism.
State-level DMOs have a board, who are government appointed officials, permanent secretaries and
tourism associations to participate in board meetings and discuss how best to synergize federal and state
DMOs to boost Nigerian tourism.
348 Interview with MD