The Tinapa business and leisure resort is reputed to be Africa’s largest Free Trade Zone. Located in Calabar, capital of Cross River State, the resort comprises of two aspects – leisure and business.
Officially commissioned on April 2, 2007, by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Tinapa is believed to be the largest hub of trading, leisure and entertainment in Africa. It sprawls its gigantic and multifarious ambits over a piece of land approximately 265 hectares and draws tourists from far and near to the city.
People, who want to take a break from the hustle and bustle of city life without interrupting their daily routines, find it a haven, breaking the age-long rule of not mixing business with pleasure.
The Tinapa Lakeside Hotel, Tinapa Games Arcade, Studio Tinapa, Waterparks Tinapa and Fisherman’s Wharf were specifically built for leisure, while the trading area comprising of the indoor shopping malls, conference centre and emporium are for business purposes.
The Tinapa Lakeside Hotel is a 242-room affair, which caters to the needs of resort visitors who seek comfort and accommodation away from their home.
Behind the Tinapa Lakeside Hotel is the artificial lake from which the hotel got its name. The Calabar River serves as a feed to the lake which also empties into the Atlantic Ocean. At some times of the year, the lake experiences tiding. Tourists can take boat cruise from the lake to other tourist sites like the Marina Resort and Creek Town which are also in the state.
On the opposite side of the lake are the jetties and speed boats. Though the lake is manmade, people still visit it for fishing activities.
The conference centre is located close to the trading area and it comprises of two halls of different capacities. This is meant to complement the trading area. One of them takes up to a hundred persons while the other has a capacity for 800 people. There is also an emporium with a larger capacity. It can occupy 10, 000 people at once.
Behind the conference centre lays the the Games Arcade. Inside it are various games facilities for both children and adults. People visit the arcade every day, especially on weekends, and holiday periods. On these occasions reservations had to be made.
Of all the leisure facilities in the resort, the Water Park, located on the western part of Tinapa, is the most visited. It is situated right behind the Studio Tinapa and it is a combination of three swimming pools- the children’s pool, the adult pool and the lazy river.
The lazy river which is the largest pool but shallow faces the tourist directly as he enters the park. It was built in such a way that people can actually walk around in it.
The adult pool, also referred to as the sports pool, is the deepest and is located on the right hand side of the park. The children’s pool is specifically built for children and is on the left hand side of the park.
Lovers of slide rides would also have a field day as the water park would provide them with the fun they desire. Among other features of the Water Park are the beach volleyball court, badminton court and a bush bar.
This part of the resort is, however, not free. Pool users have to pay an entrance fee before they are allowed access into the Water Park. Its beauty resides in the fact that every level of swimmer has a pool that suits them, whether a beginner, learner, intermediate or expert swimmer.
For people who love to relax after swimming or who watch others swim, the bush bar is located close to the side, for fun purposes. There are two badminton courts in the Water Park which also parades a volley ball court.
The tour guide at the resort, Mr. Gbenga Ewarawon, lamented that Nigerians travel outside the country to visit tourist sites, whereas there are better places like the Tinapa in the country.
“Some countries do not have these facilities,” he said, “And there has been improvement over the years.”
Studio Tinapa, Africa’s first and only purpose-built, world-class and ultra-modern Film Studio is home to Ebony Life Television of Mo Abudu.
The trading area, which is the business hub of the centre, according to Ewarawon is reputed to be the biggest in West Africa. It has two major indoor shopping malls measuring about 10,000 square metres and goods sold at the business centre are duty free. Apart from the indoor shopping malls, there are lock up stalls and shops.
One thing a visitor cannot fail to notice is the wide expanse of land which holds the Tinapa is its lush green vegetation. Virtually everywhere is green.
The resort, Ewarawon explained to our crew, was meant to be a tourist site and destination for tourism, but the trading area has not been active despite huge plans of the state government to attract investors.
The tourist guide was, however, quick to state that plans are under review and a different story would be heard of the area within the next six months.
The General Manager, Tinapa Lakeside Hotel, Mr. Michael Idakwo, said the facility is in a transition phase as plans to attract more investors and make the area as active as it was meant to be are on ground. As a result, he said that Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria has acquired Tinapa.
“AMCON has acquired Tinapa,” he said.
“The essence of the acquisition is to inject funds into it and re-invest in the area so that the original dream would be realised.”
In terms of significance, he said that Tinapa has become a Mecca of sort for tourism in the country as people come in to access facilities in the zone.
According to Idakwo, various activities in the centre have increased the revenue of the hotel from about N10m monthly to an average of N70m or N80m.
Other business facilities in the resort are the Open Exhibition Area for trade exhibitions, parking space for about 4,000 cars, a mini amphitheatre, vintage international standard restaurants, a night club and pubs.
Source: punchng
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