The Nation Newspaper

Category: Travels on Saturday

  • NANTA set for AGM

    The National Association of Nigerian travel Agencies (NANTA) is set for its non-elective Annual General meeting (AGM)  this month.

    The theme for this year’s event is: Developing strategic policy for the development and growth of travel and tourism industry in Nigeria. It is aimed at taking NANTA to the next level.

    Top personalities in the travel industry are expected to grace the occasion. The Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the Director General of the National Council for Art and Culture, NCAC, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, and the director general of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, NTDC, Folarin Coker are among the dignitaries expected to grace the AGM of to hold on the 27th of March at the Muson Centre in Lagos.

    Also expected at the AGM are the Ooni of Ife, His Majesty Oba Enitan Ogunwusi (Ojaja II),  the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, Capt. Muhtar Usman, former Speaker Lagos state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Jokotola Pelumi and other industry stakeholders.

    Speaking at the pre AGM press briefing in Lagos, the president of NANTA, Bankole Bernard, said the association is working to make the 43rd AGM a memorable event.

    Bernard stated that if Ethiopia is surviving through aviation, there is no reason Nigeria will not survive using aviation too.

    He said NANTA held its 2018 AGM in Port- Harcourt as a way of rotating their events and also to expose travel and tourism potential in that zone.

    He listed the partners in the AGM to include, Arik Air, Ethiopian Airlines, South African Airways, RwandAir, Sabre, Galileo, UBA, Leadway Assurance, and ASA Mansard Insurance, among others.

    Speaking also, the chairperson of the AGM planning committee, Mrs Susan Akporaye, said the AGM which is non elective is aimed at taken the body to the next level in line with with the federal government next level agenda.

    She stressed the need to let the government see the potential in tourism and travel sector in Nigeria.

    Akporaye said there will an awareness walk for the AGM on the 26th in Lagos.

  • FTAN calls for stand-alone tourism ministry

    The Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) has charged President Muhammadu Buhari to create a stand-alone ministry of tourism, prioritize and fund the new tourism ministry. The President of FTAN, Alhaji Saleh Rabo, made this call in Abuja this week when Mrs. Opakiriti Josephine Nzobiwu, the new Director of Domestic Tourism at the Ministry of Information and Culture, went on a familiarization visit to the headquarters of FTAN in Asokoro, Abuja.

    The new Director of Domestic Tourism has just been redeployed from the Federal Ministry of Transport in Abuja. On her maiden meeting with FTAN Council members at their secretariat, Mrs. Opakiriti Josephine Nzobiwu, assured the federation of her commitment to involve the organized tourism private sector in the scheduled programmes and events of her department at the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture.

    The Domestic Tourism Director also assured FTAN members that she would periodically seek inputs of tourism business operators in advising the minister over future domestic tourism programmes and events. Mrs. Nzobiwu said her personal travels to some international tourist destinations revealed that Nigeria’s tourism economy can be sustainably developed, if the private sector is incentivised to invest in the industry.

    Earlier, in his welcome remark, FTAN president lamented that the current nomenclature of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture without tourism is a disservice to the sector and sad reflection of the non-committal policy of the federal government towards tourism business development in Nigeria.

    Alhaji Rabo reiterated that the current Ministry of Information and Culture is too big for one minister to supervise. He insisted that the minister is too preoccupied with the enormity of managing matters relating to information, and, therefore, has no time for tourism sector policy promotion.

    Some FTAN council members present at the meeting echoed the FTAN president’s lamentation and further posited that, in the light of the impending cabinet reshuffle by President Buhari, following his recent re-election for a second term, a substantive Minister of Tourism should be appointed. They explained that it is better to have a junior a Minister of State for Tourism than to have none. FTAN members, therefore, called for a delineation akin to the current Ministry of Aviation, which has a Minister of State.

    FTAN council members announced that they are resolved to engage the Office of the President in this matter. They pointed out that since the beginning of the APC government at the federal level, the tourism sector had not received any significant business friendly palliative, not even in the much touted Ease of Doing Business policy.

    It may be recalled that FTAN and other stakeholders have since 2015, when tourism was downgraded in the current structure of the Ministry of Information and Culture, called for the appointment of a dedicated Permanent Secretary to superintend over the affairs of tourism in the federal civil service. Business owners and operators in Nigeria’s tourism industry believe that current Information and Culture Ministry is best managed by, at least, two concurrent permanent secretaries, since the minister will be too busy because of the sheer size of his portfolios.

    The new Director of Domestic Tourism was accompanied on her familiarization visit to FTAN Secretariat by Mrs. Narayi, the Deputy Director of Domestic Tourism, and one other senior official of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture.

  • Ooni to host NATOP

    The Nigerian Association of Tour Operators (NATOP) has concluded arrangements to hold its 2019 Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Ile-Ife, Osun State.

    The AGM will be hosted by His Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, the Ooni of Ife.

    This was revealed when the president of the association, Hajia Bilikisu Abdul, led NATOP members and some travel writers on a courtesy visit to the palace of the Ooni.

    The NATOP president,  Hajia Bilikisu, said: “As a national travel association,  we use our AGM to expose our members to the huge tourism potential and resources available in Nigeria.”

    She said it was part of the efforts of the association to publicise tourist sites and destinations in Nigeria. The association had previously held its AGM in Calabar, the Cross River State capital and Jos, the capital of Plateau State.

    The Ooni of Ife thanked  NATOP for choosing the ancient city of Ile-Ife and promised to showcase the huge tourism assets of the city which, according to Yoruba history and tradition, is the  source of Yoruba civilization.

    The Ooni expressed his readiness to welcome the members of the association next month (April) the meeting.

    He said: “Tourism is something I am very passionate about. I really thank God I have seen about four or five faces of tourism experts in the media that we have been relating with one another for a very long time, more than six, seven years now, talking about how to move it to another level. It is very important for us in Nigeria to propagate the message of domestic tourism. That is how things can get better.

    “We should focus on things that nature has blessed us with. We have a lot of beautiful places all over the country. It is for us to apply our sixth sense on how to rebrand who we are in different parts of this country. As God would have it, they have become the progenitor of the entire Yoruba race. We have well over five hundred million all over the world, and you know what I am passionate about, it is called tourism, before I even became a king.”

    The NATOP team was taken on a tour of the ancient city of Ile-Ife . The team toured the Ooni’s palace complex, Ile-Ife Museum, Obafemi Awolowo University, Opa Oranmiyan, the statue of Moremi and other places.

  • Dubai Tourism to host roadshow in West Africa

    As part of its efforts to promote the city’s ever-evolving tourism proposition to African tourists, Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) will be kicking off a roadshow across key cities in Ghana and Nigeria. On the heels of a record growth rates and a successful 2018, Dubai Tourism is looking to further strengthen relationships with key industry stakeholders in the region.

    With a record 28 Dubai-based partners participating, Dubai Tourism will begin the roadshow in Accra, Ghana on March 15; followed by Abuja, Nigeria on March 18, Port Harcourt on March 20 and Lagos on March 22. The roadshow will highlight Dubai’s affordable experiences and diversity of offerings to key travel partners in the West African region; spanning across travel, accommodation, entertainment and events in the city, with a focus on family travel.

    Special showcasing during the event will include breakout network sessions, partner presentations, one-to-one meetings, an education session and Dubai Expert certifications and a briefing update on Expo 2020.

    Speaking about the investment Dubai Tourism makes in Africa, Salim Ali Mohamed Dahman, Head of Campaigns – Africa at Dubai Tourism, said: “We will continue to invest in Africa, and this roadshow is just another way for us to reach our partners in the market. Further evidenced by the record number of participants travelling with us on this trip, the West African market is very appealing and a priority for our Dubai-based partners.”

    He went on to say: “With Nigeria being one of our top source markets, we have an all-star team of seasoned representatives from Dubai Tourism to welcome the attendees and conduct meetings and networking opportunities where substantial business deals are made between our partners. This is why we will continue to be present throughout the year and aim to steadily increase the number of partners we bring with us each year.”

    Dubai Tourism will be joined by partners: Atlantis The Palm Hotel & Resort, Dubai Parks and Resorts, Emirates Airlines, Excite Tourism, Expo 2020, Flora Creek Hotel Apartments, Four Seasons Hotel DIFC, Golden Sands Hotel Apartments, Golden Treasure Tourism, Groups Travel Tourism, JA Resorts & Hotels, Jumeirah Group, Kempinski Hotel, Le Meridien Hotel and Conference Centre, Mida Travels, Rayna Tourism, Red Apple Middle East Tourism, Roda Hotel Group, Royal Arabian Tours, Al Saqr Al Zahabi, Swissotel Alghurair, The Ritz Carlton DIFC, The Ritz Carlton Dubai, White Sands Tours & Travel, Wyndham Marina Hotel, Dubai Health Authority.

  • 350 Boeing 737 Max 8 planes grounded

    The aftermath of last Sunday air crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane,  a Boeing 737 Max 8, Flight ET 302,  on scheduled flight to Nairobi, more than 350 planes of the brand used by airlines around the world have been grounded.

    Among the airlines affected are:  Ethiopian Airlines, ChinaEastern Airlines, Royal AirMoroc, Garuda Indonesia Air Italy, Aerolines Agentinas, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, Air Canada,  China Southern Airlines, Norwegian Air, TUI Fly, Air China,  SpiceJet, WestJet, Turkish Airlines,  FlyDubai, Shanghai Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, Lion Air, Smartwings, GOL Airlines, Shandong Airlines and  Oman Air Jet Airways.

    Many countries have also banned the use of Boeing 737 Max 8. They include Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Ethiopia, Europe, Fiji, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Oman, Panama, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), United States and Vietnam.

    The United States Federal Aviation Administration has grounded the worldwide fleet of 737 MAX aircraft as concern grows about its airworthiness.

    However, the United States and US-based manufacturer, Boeing, had continued to insist 737 Max was safe to operate.

    Boeing has now changed course and recommended a temporary halt to operations

    A statement reads: “After consultation with the United States Federal Aviation Administration, the United States National Transportation Safety Board and aviation authorities and its customers around the world, Boeing has determined out of an abundance of caution and in order to reassure the flying public of the aircraft’s safety – to recommend to the FAA the temporary suspension of operations of the entire global fleet of the 371 737 Max aircraft.”

    Dennis Muilenburg, Chief Executive of Boeing, said safety was the priority.

    He said: “We are supporting this proactive step out of an abundance of caution.

    “We are doing everything we can to understand the cause of the accidents in partnership with the investigators, deploy safety enhancements and help ensure this does not happen again.”

    The FAA issued an emergency order of prohibition earlier, effectively banning the Boeing 737 Max from operations in the United States and around the world.

    Meanwhile, the black boxes from the Boeing 737 MAX 8 that crashed on Sunday in Ethiopia have been sent to France for analysis, Ethiopian Airlines said on Thursday.

    “An Ethiopian delegation led by Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has flown the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) to Paris, France for investigation,” the airline said in a statement.

    Ethiopia said on Wednesday it would send the FDR and the CVR to France because the East African country lacks the facilities to carry out the detailed analysis required to determine the cause of the deadly disaster.

    The devices from the US-made aircraft will be analysed by France’s BEA air accident investigation agency.

    Analysts backed the decision by Africa’s biggest airline to send the black boxes to France.

  • Nana Hotel hosts Akin Odunsi

    Former Managing Director of Rosabel Advertising and key player in Ogun politics, Senator Akin Odunsi, will be hosted at home in Ota on March 31.

    The hosting, a stylish banquet and grand reception, is in honour of the former senator for his landmark achievements in the advertising industry, politics and home affairs.

    Put together by Serikialata Ventures, the consultant managers to Nana Hotel, Ota. the event is expected to pull in big players in the advertising industry and several decision makers in the mass media.

    It is also expected to attract personalities from the manufacturing industry in and around Ota which has a lot of personalities.

    The event is the second in the series of celebrities expected to boost tourism in Ota.

    Last October, Oba Adeyemi Obalanlege, the Olota of Ota, was hosted at the same venue with a lot of fanfare and merriment.

    Wale Seriki, Managing Director, Serikialata Ventures, reaffirmed the commitment of his outfit to celebrating achievers in the society. Mr wale Seriki was a former resource team member of the Nightshift Coliseum that had hosted many celebrities, including former Ghanaian President, John Jerry Rawlings.

  • Tourism leads global economic growth

    INTERNATIONAL tourism is leading the global economic growth. This is according to the latest report of IPK’s World Travel Monitor.

    IPK carries out annual survey analysis of outbound travel behaviour in more than 60 countries worldwide, covering over 90 per cent of the global outbound demand. However, the report on Africa was scanty. There was also little information on Asia.

    In 2018, the number of outbound trips increased by 5.5 per cent, resulting in 1.4 billion international trips. Hence, once again, tourism is a key growth driver of the global economy, which “only” grew by 3.7 per cent in comparison. Growth is coming from all regions worldwide, from the mature markets, Europe and North America, but the strongest gains came from Asian and Latin American markets.

    For 2019, considering a slowing world economy, also a slightly lower growth rate is expected for international travel. Overtourism could become another growing problem for the tourism industry, with more and more international travellers feeling the effect of overcrowded destinations.

    Asia was the strongest source region last year, with overall seven per cent more outbound trips. Latin America followed with a plus of 6 per cent, while there were five per cent more trips from North America and Europe. Looking at the destination regions, once again Asia but also Europe were the global winners by receiving 6 per cent more international trips each, while the Americas were clearly below with a plus of three per cent.

    Regarding destination countries, one of the biggest changes was the stagnation of trips to Spain in 2018, a destination that boomed in the recent past. On the other hand, destinations that were avoided by tourists in the past are recovering, above all Turkey with 8.5 million more visitors in 2018 compared to 2017.

    Holidays once again outperformed business trips, due to the continuous downward path of traditional business trips, while MICE trips continued on a growth path. With international travellers staying slightly longer and also spending more when abroad, the turnover of international trips overall increased by eight per cent.

    For the second year in a row, IPK International measures the perceptions of overtourism among international travellers. While residents in affected destinations have been protesting for years, also travellers are feeling more and more impaired by the onslaught of tourist in particularly sought-after cities. IPK’s latest survey results show that meanwhile more than every tenth international traveler was negatively affected by overtourism. This is an increase of 30 per cent over the last 12 months. Cities strongly affected by overtourism were Beijing, Mexico City, Venice and Amsterdam, but also Istanbul and Florence.

    In particular, travellers from Asia felt a lot more affected by overtourism compared to,for example, Europeans.  According to the statistics, young travellers are a lot more bothered by overcrowding compared to older travellers.

    Similar to figures from 2018, 38 per cent of international travelers currently claim that political instability and terror threats will have an influence on their travel planning for 2019. At that, travellers from Asia feel a lot more impacted by terror threats than travelers from other continents. In terms of what kind of influence terror threats will have on the travel behaviour, the great majority states that they will choose only destinations, which they perceive as “safe”. The safety image of most destinations slightly improved over the last 12 months – also for Turkey, Israel and Egypt.

    With predictions of the global economic growth slowing down in 2019, also the forecast for international travel for this year is slightly below the performance of 2018. Overall, IPK International anticipates global outbound trips to increase by four per cent in 2019. Asia-Pacific remains leading with an expected plus of six per cent. Growth in the Americas is forecasted to reach three per cent, while Europe with three per cent is showing a weakening trend compared to last year.

  • SAA Voyager unveils new mobile application

    South African Airways (SAA) Voyager has launched its own SAA Voyager Mobile Application.

    According to the airline, what this means is that the transactional experience for Voyager members is now in the palm of members’ hands with easy navigation whilst on the go.

    The current SAA Mobile App only displays a customer’s status and balance of miles, whereas the first release of the SAA Voyager App includes additional transactional functions beneficial to the customers namely: update of personal details, PIN reset, award requests, claiming of missing miles, converting miles and being able to donate miles.

    The SAA Voyager App is an intervention aimed at enhancing Voyager members’ transactional experience with Voyager in the short term and it is envisaged that once SAA re-launches its Mobile App in the latter part of this year, there will be integration between the SAA and SAA Voyager Mobile Apps, where customers will transact seamlessly with SAA, be it for check-in, printing of boarding passes, making and/or changing reservations or transacting on their Voyager accounts.

    SAA Executive for Customer Loyalty, Suretha Cruse, explains that one of SAA’s key strategies is to enhance the customer experience.

    “Customer insights were a key driver in the design and development of the SAA Voyager App with our Africa-based members in mind, where 80% access the internet via their mobile phones,” she said.

  • Tourism stakeholders express fear over Ibom Air

    Practitioners in the tourism industry have given kudos the Akwa Ibom State government on the launch of its new airline, Ibom Air, owned by the state government.

    They believe the airline is a welcome development in the aviation and tourism,  but they are apprehensive over the ability of the state government to sustain the airline in the light of the history of failed domestic airlines in Nigeria.

    The view was captured by the President, the Federation of Tourism Associations Nigeria (FTAN), who is also a former Deputy President of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA), Alhaji Saleh Rabo.

    Rabo praised Akwa Ibom  for this initiative, but advised them to go  into a business arrangement with a competent private company for proper management of the airline.

    He said: “I think it is a welcome development, but my only prayer is that we should be able to sustain it. You know the problem with Nigeria is not about establishing something, but the sustainability. We do not have the culture of maintenance.  We have seen many airlines that have been floated in Nigeria, but after sometimes, they would disappear.

    “This is a governor and the person who has the idea. After his tenure, the coming person might not be interested in the project. I hope that they will set up the machinery that could keep the airline going, even after the governor of today might have left the system. Because we don’t want a situation that at the end of the day, we are going to run back to the same old story that we have been having. But for us in the industry, it is a welcome development and I hope they will be able to maintain it.”

    On how the airline could effectively function within the Nigerian aviation business climate, Rabo said: “Seriously I think that it is going to be very difficult. It is not going to be easy because for all we have seen, it is going to be difficult. I think the government should go into partnership between the government and the private sector. I will appreciate it, if it so.

    “So even if the government of the day which has the interest to run the airline is out, there will be sustainability. So, inasmuch as it is a welcome development, I hope they will be able to sustain it. The key thing is sustenance; it is not just starting something.”

    Responding to this fear, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Udoh, said the state government carried out due diligence before foraying into the aviation industry.

    He said: “First, let me give you a background. Today in Akwa Ibom State, we are blessed with a good governor, Udom Emmanuel. Beside being a consummate professional and  a business-oriented person with all his experience in the private sector, he leads a team of tested private sector practitioners who have come to the government to help stabilize and set the pace in government in Akwa Ibom State.

    “In the last three and half years, what we have done is to break the limits,   things that were previously thought to be impossible, from our industrialization efforts and tourism drive in the state. Today, we have an airline. First, in entering into this kind of arrangement, most business partners will not trust a state government because of the transient nature of the government. But for the foreign partners to trust the Akwa Ibom State government led by Governor Udom Emmanuel, speaks volumes.

    “What this governor has done is that he brought to bear his wealth of experience,  contacts  in the private sector and, of course, his pedigree to get them interested. Today,   we are running an airline that has 100 per cent equity of the state government.

    “What we have done is to set it up as a purely business entity, benchmarking international standards and the processes are well laid out, benchmarking the very best in the world. From the point of setting it up, we have been clear about that. That is why from recruitment, we didn’t do recruitment based on quota system, based on emotion; we did the recruitment based on getting the brightest and the best wherever they are.

    “Normally the thought would have been let us populate the entire crew with Akwaibomites, but what the government did was that, yes if we can find the right Akwa Ibom persons, with the right qualifications, we will bring him or her in. If not, if we can’t, then  bring the brightest and best from wherever they may be from. Then, over time, we will groom our people with requisite qualifications to become managers of that business.

    “Today, the team captain of the airline is an Akwa Ibom son, but we poached from Ethiopian Airlines. You know the Ethiopian Airlines is government owned. We were saying to ourselves, if Ethiopia, as small as their GDP is, compared to Nigeria; if Kenya as small as it is compared to Nigeria, if Rwanda. If all these small countries can manage successful airlines, it means it is not rocket science; it means it takes careful planning, careful business model to make it work which is what we have done. That tells you we took time to carry out all due diligence.”

    The commissioner insisted that the state had done its homework before venturing into the airline business and that  Ibom Air would be a success.

  • Sheraton Lagos celebrates women

    Sheraton Lagos Hotel and Towers has unveiled a special package to mark special occasions in March to celebrate women.

    The Food and Beverages Manager for the hotel, Mr. Churchill Bemigho explains:  “On Mother’s Day coming up on March 13, every mother who arrives for our Sunday brunch will get diffusers. We will equally offer a most elevated brunch experience on that day to show all mothers that we care and honour them.

    “Also on the International Women’s Day, every woman who comes in for dinner will also get a diffuser.

    “If you are stopping by on the 17th of March, you will be delighted to be part of our St Patrick’s Day commemoration at our Goodies Pub. A local Irish band will be on hand to perform and create that excitement to get you in the mood. Our guests are sure to enjoy our specials on beers that day. We are really out to deliver great moments to our patrons.

    “During the month of March, we will also offer specials on our cakes. Sheraton Lagos Hotel’s pastry department is renowned for delicious unforgettable cakes, meat pies and other items which are a hit amongst our guests.

    “Our Sheraton Lagos teams are geared to ensure that March is indeed a special one for all our clients, especially mothers and women in general. We acknowledge their value and believe women are integral bedrock of society and nations at large.

    “At Sheraton Lagos Hotel, we go beyond in being innovative when it comes to the service we deliver and it delights us to offer something to our loyal customers which is eclectic and not currently in the market”.