Save Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and a few others, several Nigerian cities continue to confront the persistent challenge of negative image. The focus of this story, Bayelsa State has often been described as ‘one long road’- depicting the state’s lack of multiple road networks.
While Yenagoa is by far the largest city in Bayelsa State, security concerns, urban poverty, and a lack of economic opportunity are often the features used in describing the overall nature of the city.
Created in 1996 from the old Rivers State, Bayelsa is bounded east and west by Rivers and Delta State, with the beautiful waters of the Atlantic Ocean dominating its southern borders.
The state is also well endowed with enormous deposits of hydrocarbons, which have remained the mainstay of the nation’s and state’s economies for over five decades. It is made up of 8 local government areas with Ekeremor, Kaiama, Nembe, Ogbia Town, Oporoma, Sagbama, Twon-Brass, and Yenagoa, which is also the capital of the state.
Thislookslikebayelsa can better tell the socioeconomic outlook of Bayelsa. In a wide range of areas, including culture, art, fashion, cinema, food, photography, tourism, videography, and music, the platform is a media brand that presents a carefully curated online exhibition of the finest that the Bayelsan tourism, cultural, and media business has to offer.
Austin Mathias Otuogha launched Thislookslikebayelsa in 2016 to drive a more positive outlook of Bayelsa State.
The overall number of overnight visits to Nigeria increased by 80% in the last decade. In the period, domestic visits soared by 80%, while overnight stays abroad increased by almost 90%. In 2019, the travel and tourism sector in Nigeria accounted for 4% of the country’s GDP and employed around 3.3 million people.
In 2019, 70% of overnight stays in Nigeria were scheduled or planned via digital platforms. A significant opportunity in the approach was highlighted by economic modeling, which found a causal association between the increase in the tourism industry and the increasing usage of digital platforms.
Otuogha’s Thislookslikebayelsa is adapting existing digital processes that best fit the environment and future of the tourism industry. The platform’s online digital content will elevate the ability of Bayelsa State to reach travelers across the globe throughout each stage of the travel planning process.
Leveraging stories, written and video interviews with artists, designers, and creative entrepreneurs, as well as original content series, the platform creates a better description of the state.
Travelers can experience Bayelsa State through a robust digital presence that inspires travel, produces confidence in the state, reduces panic, and enables shared experiences.
