By EHIGIMETOR IGBAUGBA

The Cross River Government says it has conducted a successful test flight at the Bebi Airstrip at Obanliku Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.

Mr Sunday Michael, Special Adviser to the governor on Obudu Ranch disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Calabar.

According to Michael, the successful test flight at the Bebi Airstrip signals the renewed efforts to reposition the Obudu Ranch Resort as a world-class tourism destination.

NAN reports that the Airstrip had faced prolonged closure and flight suspensions over the years, due to safety concerns, regulatory orders and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) withdrawing essential services over unpaid debts.

The governor’s aide said the test flight conducted on Thursday, was part of ongoing preparations for the comprehensive rehabilitation and reconstruction of the resort and its associated facilities.

“The development is being driven by the Cross River Government under the leadership of Gov. Bassey Otu, as part of efforts to restore the resort to its former status, as one of Nigeria’s foremost tourism destinations,” he said.

He explained that the entire resort complex would be temporarily closed from Sept. 1, to allow for what he described as “massive rehabilitation and world-class reconstruction.”

Michael listed affected facilities to include the Obudu Mountain Resort, Waterpark, the Safari Lodge and the Bebi Airstrip.

According to him, the planned intervention is expected to involve the modernisation of facilities, improvement of access infrastructure and enhancement of the overall visitor experience.

“The government said the objective is to create a tourism destination capable of competing favourably with leading destinations in Nigeria and across the world.

“The successful test flight at the Bebi Airstrip is also expected to improve accessibility to the mountain resort, when commercial operations eventually commence.

“The Obudu Ranch Resort, formerly known as Obudu Cattle Ranch, is one of Cross River’s major tourism assets and has over the years, attracted visitors because of its mountainous terrain, cool climate and scenic landscape.

“The state government has identified tourism as one of the sectors with significant potential to contribute to economic growth, employment generation and revenue diversification.

“The planned rehabilitation is therefore, expected to provide a new lease of life for the resort and strengthen its role in the state’s tourism economy,” he explained.

Michael expressed appreciation to stakeholders and members of the public, for their continued support and belief in the ranch dream.

He said visitors would be welcomed back to the resort after the rehabilitation, with upgraded facilities and enhanced tourism experiences.

It would be recalled that the state government had recently concessioned the foremost resort for 25 years to Living Curation Real Estate Limited.

The government had also said during the signing of the concession agreement, it involved the holistic rehabilitation and development of the resort. (NAN)