Abstract:

This study examines community relations practices by professionals in the Ministry of tourism, council for art and culture.  It also examines areas the public want the Ministry and council to improve on. The research method employed for this study is the In-depth interview method; the interview was also conducted with the public relations professionals in the Ministry and agency to get their insights. Professionals generally do not execute enough community activities to ensure the public see ministries in a positive light. It is not possible to do a successful activity without Public Relations. This paper reveals that despite the professional's claim in ensuring there is a mutually beneficial relationship between the community and the Ministry, a lot still need to be done.  The paper concludes that the Ministry and council need to focus more on public relations with those at the local level and overcome the issue of negative perception. They should as well focus more on areas that will benefit the public, such as more empowerment programs. More educational programs, better community relations activities also need more attention. Its recommends that the Ministry of Tourism, council for art and culture must get involved with international partnerships as that is a significant area they are lacking. Also, they must endeavour to create keen awareness about their activities; they should exploit more activities across the different local governments in the State.