Religion: Another tourist magnet
Nigeria is fast establishing itself as a destination for everything. People of all walks of life, including our own President Joyce Banda, have in recent past visited the country to seek answers to their social, political and spiritual problems.
This, in a way, has also helped to promote tourism for Nigeria. As www.newghana.com claims, Prophet Temitope Balogun (TB) Joshua and his Synagogue Church of All Nations (Scoan) are playing a pivotal role in promoting the Nigerian tourism industry.
“A random verification visit to Lagos-Nigeria Airport (Muritala Mohammed Airport), since my house is five minutes to the airport, has proven to me that the highest foreign tourist attraction to Lagos-Nigeria is Scoan, Prophet TB Joshua and his five wise men,” said one commentator on the social media.
It is not Nigeria alone that is benefiting from religion to boost its tourism sector.
In Malawi, there are pastors who hold regular conferences which attract people from as far as United States of America (USA).
On New Year ’s Eve, for instance, Prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) held a crossover night at the Bingu International Conference Centre in Lilongwe where 3 000 foreigners were in attendance.
It is worth noting that the ECG conference attracted business tycoons such as Brian Nalisa, a Namibian national based in the US. The 52-year-old Nalisa owns Insight Luxury Coaches in Namibia, Insight Global Strategy in New York and Insight Airlines.
After being blessed, the pilgrims also visited some tourist attraction sites such as Mulanje Mountain and Lake Malawi.
Nalisa said this was the first time he was visiting Malawi. He said the visit had not only spiritually uplifted his life, but also created room for business opportunities.
Nalisa said he was considering coming back to Malawi to implement some business ventures.
He said he is already negotiating with local investors.
“I can see Malawi’s potential to become the focal point for Africa’s economic boom. Religious meetings such as these could be a platform for marketing the country outside,” said Nalisa.
He added that religion helps in stabilising a country and unifying the world, elements he said attract investors.
“Malawi, just like Zimbabwe, has enough resources to feed the whole Africa. But unless Malawians realise that, the country will stagnate in poverty,” said Nalisa.
Bushiri said during their stay in Malawi, the pilgrims lodged in different hotels where they paid in foreign currencies, thereby improving foreign exchange reserves for the country.
“With the failure of tobacco on the global market, the next sector that is very promising is the tourism sector. And with conferences such as these, the country’s foreign exchange can easily thrive,” he said.
