By Chinelo Obogo
The two-day Akwaaba African Travel Market is set to commence on November 29 and Lagos State is among participants expected to showcase its tourist attractions.
At the event, the Commissioner of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, will unveil details of the Lagos tourism master plan and other products, making it the first state to launch a tourism master plan in Nigeria. Cross River State will also be there to unveil the 32 days Christmas Festival, ‘Carnival Calabar’ and the Carnival Commission will be on hand to engage with stakeholders.
Ethiopian Airlines, Wakanow, Rwandair, EgyptAir, Satguru Savoury and Partners, Comfort Group, Alisa Hotel Ghana, Monty Suites Nigeria, NCAC, NIHOTOUR and ITPN would also be represented and there will be lots of gifts for delegates courtesy of Dubai Tourism (DTCM) and other exhibitors.
The event will be declared open by the publisher of The Guardian Newspapers, Lady Maiden Alex Ibru, and the guest speaker for this year’s event is Turaki Nura Kangiwa, the Director General of the National Institute of Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) who will speak on, “How to Scale Hospitality Training to Meet International Standards.”
Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN), Sam Alabi, will Speak on “The Limits of State Regulation of Tourism and Hospitality Businesses,” while the topic, “State Registration and Classification of Hotels: The Journey So Far” will be handled by the First National Deputy President of FTAN, Badaki Aliyu. The top 20 natural wonders of Nigeria, will be unveiled on Tuesday, November30, by three members of Tourism 100 Club; Princess Surah Animashaun, Piriye Kiriyamo and Nkereuwem Onung, President of the Tourism Federation in Nigeria.