BusinessDay 15 April 2018

44
C002D5556 Sunday 15 April 2018
Travel
NATOP ushers in a new dawn
…as new president emerges, promises more visibility
OBINNA EMELIKE
No doubt, the past two
years have been good
for the National Association
of Tour Operators
(NATOP).
The period witnessed two successful
Annual General Meetings
(AGM), in Calabar and Lagos amid
other activities that have combined to
raise the profile and visibility of the association
after a long lull of inactivity
in the national tourism scene.
Within the two years period, the
association had strong partnerships
with public and private sectors,
organised scores of roadshows,
celebrated World Tourism Day, attended
trade exhibitions, trained
members, among others.
But the biggest of the feats is the
membership drive, which has seen
an association of 15 members about
two years ago, grow into a national
association with members across
the country.
Besides inaugurating the FCT
chapter with the South Eastern and
South South chapters coming up
soon, the association has also reintegrated
and reinforced its membership
with the Federation of Tourism
Association of Nigeria (FTAN) and
other associations.
Well, a great deal of credit goes to
Nkereuwem Onung, the immediate
past president of the association and
his executive who worked tirelessly to
ensure that the association gained
relevance in the national tourism
scene.
It was on the above ground that
the 2018 NATOP elective AGM was
2nd (from left) Bilkisu Abdul, president, NATOP, Rabo Saleh, president, FTAN, presenting an award of excellence
to Simon Laloang, governor, Plateau State, which was received by Yakubu Dati, the commissioner for Information
at the recently concluded NATOP AGM in Jos.
imperative in order to elect the right
people to further lift the association
higher from the point of relevance
the immediate past executive has
left it.
As expected the AGM, which held
in Jos, the Plateau State capital on
April 9, 2018 had some intrigues.
Before the election there was tension
as some members who wanted
to contest accused the Executives of
setting up the Abuja chapter in March
to recruit members to vote at the
AGM for a preferred candidate who
was the general secretary.
To resolve the issue the president
followed the Constitution and asked
all new members who were less
than two years old to leave the hall.
This included all but two of the Abuja
chapter members.
The President stepped aside and
the Board of Trustees conducted
the elections among the verified
members.
At the end of the tension packed
election, Bilkisu Abdul of BBOG Travels,
an Abuja-based tour operator,
was elected the National President
while Ime Udo, a Lagos-based tour
operator, was elected the Vice President.
A new BOT was also constituted
at the AGM. The members include;
Kabiru Malan, former NANTA president,
Fatima Garbati, former president
of NATOP, Jemi Alade, pioneer
tour operator, Gabe Onah, chairman,
Carnival Calabar Commission,
Nkereuwem Onung, immediate past
president, NATOP, Josephine Anenih
and Ikechi Uko, a travel expert.
In her acceptance speech, Bilkisu
extended a hand of fellowship to the
two candidates she had defeated in
the elections and promised to work
with all members to make gain more
visibility for the association at the
national tourism scene.
Earlier in his speech, Onung asked
the federal and state governments to
place more premium on marketing
destination Nigeria.
“We need to emphasize more on
domestic assets and develop them.
Marketing at International Trade
Shows should resume. Tourism is
a federal Government matter and
Government needs to walk the talk”,
he noted.
He also advised the new executives
to ensure that NATOP remains a
national association by inaugurating
other regions after Abuja chapter.
“I advise the incoming executive
to take training of members seriously
in view of the influx of hospitality
practitioners and travel agents into
NATOP”, he concluded.
As well, Plateau State government,
the host, commende NATOP
for choosing the state as its firstever
host in the northern part of the
country.
In his speech at the event, Simon
Bako Lalong, governor of Plateau
State, who was represented by Sonni
Tyoden, his deputy, assured the tour
operators present that his state is
making efforts at developing tourist
sites and also providing conducive
environment for the promotion of
tourism.
He explained that upon assumption
of office about three years ago,
his administration unveiled a five
policy trust governance intervention
agenda.“The first item on this
agenda is peace, security and good
governance. And the fifth is the provision
of greater infrastructure and
the development of a sustainable
environment. The security of lives and
property in an environment of peace
as a primary concern of government
is the fulcrum upon which we desire
to promote the attainment of a sustainable
environment”.
The AGM, which held on the
theme: ‘Security Challenges and Promotion
of Tourism in Nigeria’ with a
paper presentation on the theme by
Ona Ekhomu, also witnessed many
cultural performances by cultural
troupes across the state and a tour of
some tourism attractions in the state
by the delegates.
Ambode commends Ministry of Culture, promises
support in hosting UNWTO/CAF meeting
The governor of Lagos State,
Akinwunmi Ambode, has commended
the Minister of Information
and Culture, Lai Mohammed,
for his efforts to reposition
culture and tourism in the country.
The governor made the commendation
when the Minister paid him a
courtesy visit in Lagos on Thursday,
in connection with Nigeria’s hosting
of the 61st Meeting of the United Nations
World Tourism Organization/
Commission for Africa (UNWTO/CAF)
in Abuja from June 4-6, 2018.
“I will like to welcome the Minister
of Information and Culture back home
to the Centre of Excellence. It is always
a delight to welcome people like him.
He has been very impactful in the last
three years in the Ministry of Information
and Culture,” he said.
Ambode assured that the Lagos
State government will support the
Federal Government in order to
ensure a successful hosting of the
global event, adding: “We are happy
to associate with President Muhammadu
Buhari and the Minister of
Information and culture in their efforts
to reposition tourism and diversifying
the nation’s economy.”
Earlier, the Minister had said he
was in Lagos as part of his nation-wide
promotional tour for the 61st edition
of the UNWTO/CAF Meeting.
From Right: The Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode; Minister of Information
and Culture, Lai Mohammed, and the Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism,
Arts and Culture, Steve Ayorinde, during the courtesy visit by the Minister at Alausa,
Lagos on Thursday to promote the forthcoming 61st UNWTO/CAF Meeting in Abuja
“We started the tour in Abuja on
Tuesday with a visit to the Minister of
the Federal Capital Territory, because
he is the Minister of the meeting’s
host city. This is the second stop on
the promotional tour that will take us
across the country. Lagos, the economic
nerve centre of Nigeria, is also
a foremost tourist city. It is therefore
not a surprise that it is our next port
of call after Abuja, which will host the
UNWTO/CAF Meeting,” he said.
Mohammed said the Meeting
is a great opportunity to promote
Nigeria’s tourism industry and to
showcase the country to the world,
especially in the area of its culture
and tourism, adding: “And of course,
we have a lot to showcase; our tourist
attractions, our rich culture, and
our music and films, which have
taken the world by storm”.
He said Lagos State is crucial to
the success of the Meeting, especially
because the state will host the Technical
Visit programme of the Meeting
“A major part of the programme
is what is referred to as the Technical
Visit. For this, we have chosen the Eko
Atlantic City as the destination. The
choice is not an accident. It is designed
to showcase to the world a city that
promises to be a tourist haven, with
the largest shopping mall in sub-
Saharan Africa,” the Minister said.
All eyes on Lagos Tourism Summit,
as former Ghanaian president
presents keynote address
Activities lined up for the
forthcoming Lagos Tourism
Summit is fast gathering momentum
as John ‎ Mahama,
ex-president of Ghana, is set to arrive
the country for the Tourism Summit
‎holding on April 16, 2018 at the Eko Hotel
and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos .
Mahama is expected to deliver
the keynote address at the summit,
which holds on the theme: ‎Destination
Lagos: Towards A Sustainable
Tourism-Driven Economy”, and will
also feature ‎paper presentations by
renowned stakeholders in the tourism
business and a panel discussion.
Speaking during a press briefing
on the summit in Lagos recently, Steve
Ayorinde, Lagos State Commissioner
for Tourism, Art and Culture, noted
that ‎the forthcoming Lagos Tourism
Summit is a bold step embarked upon
by the Governor Akinwumi Ambode’s
administration to demonstrate its
commitment towards making Lagos,
the foremost tourism destination in
Africa‎.
He explained that ‎the idea of the
Lagos Tourism Summit is part of the
inclusive agenda to allow all stakeholders
contribute to the ongoing tourism
masterplan being put together by
Messrs Earnst and Young on behalf of
the Lagos State Government.‎
Ayorinde maintained that ‎the
present administration has pursued
vigorously his project T.H.E.S.E agenda
which seeks to invest in human capital
and infrastructure to encourage
creativity and promotion of genius
minds in arts, entertainment, culture
and tourism.‎
He stated that the gathering will
provide a rare opportunity to engage
stakeholders, professionals, leading
academics and scholars, researchers
in the tourism, culture, arts and
entertainment industry, local and
foreign media practitioners to debate,
exchange ideas, deliberate and chart a
way forward for Lagos tourism.
“The idea of the summit is not to
find another talk shop but to list out in
specific terms the interventions that
are needed in producing a masterplan
that assist in shaping the tourism
sector in Lagos State in the next 15
to 20 years.
And so you will find the four sessions
at the summit as well as the
exhibition hall dwell around the pillars
that the proposed Tourism Masterplan,
namely:‎ Culture and Heritage, ‎
Film Art and Entertainment, ‎Business
and MICE, Beach and Leisure, ‎Nature
and Adventure and Medical and
Wellness.” ‎