It was a gathering of who is who in the tourism industry, both in Nigeria and beyond, when notable stakeholders in the sector gathered in Abuja to brainstorm on more creative ways to maximize the economic opportunities that Nigeria has, but is yet to fully harness in creating jobs, growing incomes, and improving livelihoods.
The event, which was aimed at promoting domestic tourism travel, tagged “Abuja Jabamah: The Wonders of Nigeria Expo,” took place at the Nicon Luxury Hotel in Abuja at the weekend.
Major players in the travel, culture and hospitality industry took turns to unveil the tourism potentials in their respective areas and affiliations.
The Africanscholar learnt that the convener of the expo, Ambassador Ikechi Uko, staged the event in partnership with the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) to create awareness and work closely with other industry stakeholders to uplift the business of tourism and grow the Nigerian economy.
Ambassador Uko further explained that with the partnership, the Abuja Jabamah 2021, which featured a 2-day specialist training for travel practitioners, has become the first of its kind in Nigeria.
Speaking at the event, the Akwa Ibom State commissioner for culture and tourism, Hon. Orman Esin, said the state is one of the best kept secrets in Nigeria, as far as tourism and hospitality are concerned.
He emphasised that, while the state is one of the largest oil producing states in the country, it also has unimaginable tourism sites and potentials which, he said, remain untapped and must be commercially harnessed and profitably deployed.
Esin further pointed to other landmark achievements in the sector, which he said were evident in the preservation of colonial-time structures, graveyards, trading routes, and works of art in the state.
The commissioner reiterated the commitment of Akwa Ibom State to work with all stakeholders in order to take the Nigerian travel and hospitality industry to greater heights.
In her own remarks, the commissioner for culture and tourism of Lagos state, Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile Yussuf, appreciated the organisers of the forum for “the commitment they have brought to bear on the task of promoting the sector,” further urging them “not to relent in their efforts.”
She expressed the readiness of Lagos State to ensure that its cultural and tourism heritage is unveiled to the whole world as a sure way of creating job opportunities and visibility of the tourism potentials in Lagos.
While addressing the gathering, Capt. Mfon Udom, who is the chief executive officer of Ibom Air, an indigenous airline operated by the Akwa Ibom state government, explained that the company aims to set the standard as the airline of choice for passengers in Nigeria, West Africa and beyond by focusing on service excellence, hospitality and innovation, as well as delivering an infusion of style and grace to its customers.
The National Parks Services (NPS), in an official statement, maintained that, while it is engrossed in the task of preserving, enhancing, protecting and managing vegetation and wild animals in the National Parks throughout the country, it has also created a veritable platform for promoting tourism and growing businesses.
Participants who attended the occasion were issued a professional certificate in tour operations after a structured training on various subjects, such as overview of tourism and its trends in Nigeria, destination management concepts, packaging tour products for export, tour guiding principles, hiking and safety protocols, pre-colonial and colonial history of Nigeria, festivals in Nigeria, national parks in Nigeria, musuems in Nigeria, understanding Nigeria’s biodiversity, philosophy and strategies of tourism promotions, and insurance for tourism.
The 2-day event featured a city tour of Abuja, the induction of Tourism 100: Class of 2020, and an award ceremony honouring the best tourism promoters for the year 2020.
Participants were drawn from state tourism boards, tour operators and other tourism professionals.
