Category: Travels on Saturday

Lagos State Government has recorded remarkable achievements in the area of tourism, art and culture growth and development in the last one year.

The Commissioner for Tourism, Art and Culture, Lagos State, Mr Steve Ayorinde, said the last one year had been eventful in terms of tourism infrastructure development, arts and cultural promotion which had laid a long term foundation to make Lagos State a sustainable tourism driven economy and a top most haven for business and leisure in Africa.

Speaking in Lagos on Monday, May 7 during the 2018 ministerial press briefing at Alausa, Ikeja, Mr. Ayorinde disclosed that in the last one year, 153 hospitality establishments were registered in addition to the 767 captured as at December 2016.

He gave the total number of registered hospitality and tourism establishments so far as 920.

The commissioner, however, observed that some hospitality establishments remained  unwilling to register with the ministry despite  persuasion and issuance of notices.

He said final notices had been served on the operators, upon which enforcement exercise will be carried out on those that failed to register or renew their facilities.

Ayorinde stated further that over 92 establishments mostly located around Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Lekki- Ajah axis, International Airport Road, Ajao Estate, Igando and Iba Road have been served contravention notices.

He disclosed further that the one-year-long activities marking the celebration of the creation of Lagos State was a unique opportunity for the ministry to test the water on how to have a structured programme of activities across all genres of entertainment, culture, events, dance exhibitions, comedy shows, children literary, art exhibition and carnivals were unleashed in various venues across the five divisions of the state.

Ayorinde noted that the over 50 events of the last 50 days have turned Lagos into a Mecca of fun and entertainment with numerous creative ideas across cinemas, open spaces, parks and event centres.

The commissioner listed some of the notable performances held across the state to include: the successful hosting of the Lagos State Tourism Summit, Wakaa, the Musical, Felaon Broadway Musical in Concert, Jazz Meets Fashion, Lagos Loves Cinema, Lagos Dance Exhibition, Lagos Laughs, Lagos Carnival/Parade of Colours, Eyo Festival, Kakadu and the Musical, among others.

He listed the arts and culture events the state has endorsed and supported to include: Africa Movie Academy Awards, AMAA, Nigeria Beer Festival, Akwaaba African Travel Market, Children Summer Cultural Fiesta, Unveilling of new Obafemi Awolowo Statue, Lagos debut at World Tourism Conference, celebration of World Tourism Day, Nottinghill Carnival, Lagos Street Carnival, One Lagos Fiesta, Lagos Grows Talents and Lagos Boat Regatta among others.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has solicited the support of Nigeria’s tourism journalists for the country’s hosting of the 61st UNWTO/CAF Meeting in Abuja from June 4 to 6.

”We are keenly aware that we cannot host a successful UNWTO/CAF Meeting without you,” the minister said during a meeting with members of the Association of Nigerian Journalists and Writers of Tourism (ANJET) in Lagos on Monday.

‘’I am, therefore, using this occasion to solicit your support for the success of the 61st Meeting of the UNWTO/CAF,” he said.

Alhaji Mohammed described the tourism journalists as Nigeria’s foremost brand ambassadors, whose writings go far beyond the shores of the country and influence the opinions of foreign tourists, adding: ”With that tag of brand ambassadors, a lot of responsibility is placed on you.”

He said the UNWTO/CAF Meeting is a great opportunity for Nigeria, ”in that – apart from the socio-economic gains – the event will put Nigeria, and the nation’s tourism industry in particular, on the world map, attract foreign research experts and promote the necessary network that will form the basis for future cooperation”.

The minister described as apt the theme of the meeting which is: ”Tourism Statistics: A Catalyst for Development,” because ”it will give us the opportunity of strengthening our tourism data gathering and analysis which is an area in which we have been relatively weak.”

He said with participants coming from the 51 African countries that are members of the UNWTO as well as representatives of the UN agency, other international organizations, local and international media as well as experts and stakeholders from the public and private sector, the meeting will provide a good opportunity for Nigeria to showcase itself to the world, especially in the area of its culture and tourism.

Alhaji Mohammed  said that Lagos State will host the technical visit aspect of the meeting which will be used to showcase Eko Atlantic City which, on completion, will boast of the largest shopping mall in sub-Saharan Africa, vast amenities for entertainment, such as food courts, cinemas and playgrounds and a canal that can be used for water transportation and water sports, among others.

The Ghanaian Minister of Aviation, Mrs Cecilia Abena Dapaah, will be opening the fourth Accra Weizo on June 22 with a paper entitled ‘Harnessing the Opportunities in Aviation Value Chain in West Africa.’

West Africa is home to 15 countries of over 350 million people, but tourism is not the strong suite of the economic interaction in the region.

The region receives among the lowest tourism figures per capita in Africa. With a huge population and over 40 airports, its aviation is dominated by companies from outside the region

The ECOWAS region, as it is known despite a protocol of free movement, has not grown intra regional tourism and travel.

Accra Weizo is one of the events geared towards getting West Africans to co-operate amongst themselves. Accra Weizo is a travel event in its 4th edition. It is aimed at creating a seamless travel environment in West Africa. It brings together travel professionals in West Africa.

The first day will be the seminar on aviation and the second day will be dedicated to the ‘Travel, Tourism and the Internet’ session to grow travel business and destination. It will be taking place at Ada Ekesi Hall at LaPalm Royal Beach Hotel, Accra, Ghana, on June 22 and 23.

The topics to be discussed are dedicated solely to aviation in West Africa.

They include: ‘Interlining in West Africa, a Possibility or a Mirage?’ Integrating West African Airport System,’ ‘Standardizing Aviation Laws in West Africa for Regional Growth’, ‘’Why West African Airlines fail easily and the future’.

According to Mr. Ikechi Uko, the CEO of AKWAABA African Travel Market and Organiser of Accra Weizo, “Our events are geared towards capacity building and networking. After the success of Banjul Bantaba, we expect Ghana to surpass the Gambia Experience”.

There will be a three-day trip to the Volta Region for Tour Operators to be hosted by the Ghana Tourism Authority.

Ethiopian Airlines, the largest aviation group in Africa and Skytrax certified four star Global Airline, has won the 2018 Africa’s Outstanding Food Services by a Carrier Award as voted by Pax International readers at a ceremony held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Hamburg, Germany, in April 2018.

Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam, Ethiopian Group CEO, said: “It is very gratifying to receive this prestigious award, which is based on the vote of the travelling public. We are highly honoured that the travelling public has recognized our continuous effort to avail the best possible products and services.

“As part of our Vision 2025, we have built the largest and most modern catering facility on the continent at our main hub in Addis Ababa with a daily production capacity of 100,000 meals. This has enabled us to significantly upgrade the capacity, quality and variety of our meal production.

“Our modern catering facility produces a variety of cuisines that can meet the need of our esteemed customers ranging from our national Ethiopian dishes to Chinese, Indian and Italian culinary delights. It  caters for specific dietary needs with vegan, Halal and Kosher meals. Going forward, we will further diversify our meal offering with more choices and culinary delights from across Africa and other parts of the world.”

Winners of the awards were selected by Pax International readers over a period of six months. “Each year, the PAX International Readership Awards honour the best in the industry, as selected by our readers,” said Aijaz Khan, publisher of PAX International.

“From airline caterers and airport lounges, to amenity kits and duty-free programmes, to IFE and seating, the PAX Awards is a barometer of where executives in the onboard services and aircraft interiors industries have found their attention over the course of the previous year.

The Concerned Human Right Nigeria (CHRN) on Wednesday, May 2, commenced an assessment tour of the Lagos State Government projects across the state.

The tour began at the Orile Agege LCDA where the group was well received by the Executive Chairman of council, Hon. Johnson Babatunde, and other council officials.

The chairman commended the group for embarking on the task and enjoined them to do a thorough job not only in his council area, but other local government areas, stressing that “the current government in the state is a performing one and the projects are impactful and enduring,” and he wished the team a successful tour.

Earlier in his remarks, the Convener of the CHRN, Comrade Declan Ihekaire, said the decision to embark on the inspection was as a result of deep concern for accountability and probity, stressing that as watchdog of the society, “it is germane that we carry out this onerous task of evaluating  the projects of the Ambode-led administration, so as to access the justification for some of the projects and their comparison to world standard. We want to ensure that tax payers money is judiciously put into good use by the government”.

The team proceeded to state project sites in the Orile Agege LCDA such as Itogbe Street  currently undergoing construction, where residents commended the state government for a job well done, Methodist Primary School, Tabon Tabon which has been abandoned due to legal tussle, Kareem Babatunde Street which has been completed, Ogunjebe Street, still undergoing construction and some other roads, requiring rehabilitation such as Raji and Olanrewaju streets, among others, in the LCDA.

The team later moved to the Onigbongbo LCDA where they were received by the Chairman, Hon Babatunde Oke, and his council officials.

Hon Oke commended the activists for taking the initiative to embark on the assessment tour which was described as an indication of playing their traditional role of putting the government on its toes.

Marriott International , owner of Sheraton, Westin, Le Meridien and other international hospitality brands, has said it  will introduce one set of unified benefits across Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) for its members in August 2018.

This will create hospitality loyalty programme, the group said,  in which members will earn more points faster than under the prior programs — on average 20 per cent more points for every dollar spent.

For the first time, members will have access to book stays and earn or redeem points among 29 participating global brands comprising 6,500 hotels in 127 countries and territories.

Additionally, the moment experiential platform is expanding, with more than 110,000 experiences in 1,000 destinations from must-see attraction tickets and tours for purchase with cash by all guests, to once-in-a-lifetime events only available to members using points, including the new bespoke Moments Live event series.

“We listened to the travel aspirations of our members and set our sight on unlocking the full potential of our loyalty programmes,” said David Flueck, Senior Vice President of Global Loyalty, Marriott International.

“We are excited to announce that this August, our members can enjoy one set of benefits across our extraordinary portfolio of hotels from iconic full and select service, to extended stay, to unique boutiques and luxury brands. We hope to inspire our members whatever their travel passion, whether it is resorts featuring overwater bungalows, peaceful secluded island settings, ski-in / ski-out mountain resorts, towering hotels with picture-worthy views or even former palaces converted into hotels.”

Beginning in August, members will be able to combine their separate Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards and SPG accounts into a single account spanning the entire loyalty portfolio. The Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) names will continue to live on under the new set of unified benefits until a new programme name is introduced in 2019.

Also beginning in August, travellers will have the ability to book stays across the entire portfolio for the first time on Marriott.com, SPG.com and the Marriott and SPG.