Category: Tourism

The Director General, National Council for Art and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Segun Runsewe (OON), has won the prestigious Africa Travel Quarterly magazine (ATQ) award as the Culture and Tourism Man of the Year.

In a letter of notification to Runsewe by the management of the magazine dedicated exclusively to Africa travel narratives, it explained that the DG of NCAC who was  once in the saddle as Nigeria’s tourism  marketer, was overwhelmingly chosen across the spectrum of its board of directors, stakeholders and journalists across Africa as worthy of the award for his dedicated service and promotion of inter Africa cultural understanding and for using the culture platform to drive tourism on the west coast of Africa.

As a first recipient of ATQ’s premium Balafon award, Runsewe was also singled out and commended for changing the narrative of Nigerian culture economy through instituting skills acquisition platforms on art and crafts to empower the rural poor and also creating financial window for the creative community through partnership with the Bank of Industry (BOI).

According to ATQ management which also drives the Accra Weizo, a west coast tourism fair,  Runsewe’s exceptional strategic drive using international culture marketing exposition(INAC) to build bridges of understanding and accelerate growth of African tourism, stood him above other efforts across the continent.

In a letter of acceptance, Otunba Segun Runsewe appreciated the organisers, stakeholders and journalists across the continent for finding his little contribution on culture and tourism worthy of continental recognition.

THE increasing demand from tourists and growing influence of sports on destinations’ popularity have combined to make sports tourism one of the segments with the greatest potential for socioeconomic development opportunities, attracting growing levels of government interest.

The 1st UNWTO Sports Tourism Start-up Competition, launched by UNWTO and BIHUB, with the support of QNTC, is looking for start-ups with ideas focused on solving real needs and addressing knowledge gaps in the growing sports tourism sector.

In all, 20 start-ups will be shortlisted by a panel of international experts and sports and tourism stakeholders, drawn from the public and private sectors, academia and civil society. The shortlisted start-ups will be announced on the competition’s website. The panel will then select five semi-finalists who will all be invited to Barcelona to pitch their ideas to sports experts, government representatives,tourism business leaders and international investors.

“We are pleased to be partnering with the Barcelona Innovation Hub to harness the potential of sports tourism to stimulate creativity, innovation and sustainable growth. Through this competition, start-ups with disruptive visions can propose new ideas that will allow the sports tourism sector to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals. We thank BIHUB for their vision and collaboration and, as we move towards the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, we thank the QNTC for their support for this exciting project,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili as he opened the competition.

As part of the partnership with QNTC, the winning ideas will also be considered for implementation in Qatar, which is gearing up to host the FIFA World Cup 2022.

Mr. Akbar Al Baker, Secretary General of QNTC, commented, “At QNTC we believe sporting events have a unique power to bring people of the world together, and that is also why sports tourism is a key focus area in our tourism vision. We look forward to seeing the innovative ideas that will come through the inaugural Sports Tourism Start-Up Competition and hope that one of them will come to life in Qatar.”

Marta Plana, Director of BIHUB, added: “We are very pleased to work together with UNWTO to develop tourism in relation to the sports industry, a growing sector, and identify companies with the talents to help achieve this. Barcelona is a city linked to design and innovation, and a tourism hub. At BIHUB we want to make Barcelona the Silicon Valley of the sports industry and to use our experience as a tourist attraction, with the FC Barcelona museum the most visited in the Catalan region and more than 4 million people visiting our ground every year.”

Ethiopian Airlines introduced its codeshare flight with ASKY to South Africa, making it the only non-South African airline on the route between Nigeria and South Africa.

The aircraft for the inaugural flight, when it landed at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport was welcomed with water canon salute and received by staff of ASKY and Ethiopian airlines.

The airport community joined in the reception. The flight was operated with an ASKY B737-700 commanded by Captain Dawit Muluneh. It left Lagos for Johannesburg.

The General Manager of Ethiopian Airlines in Nigeria, Mrs. Firihiewot Mekonnen, at the inaugural ceremony, told journalists at the airport that ASKY is the operating airline while ET is the marketing airline.

“Nigeria is one of our biggest markets where we bring the best of our aircraft and we always strive to give our best to Nigerians.

“As part of this motive, we found out a lot of Nigerians travel to  South Africa so we decided to help improve the connectivity for the passengers.

“We have also availed many promotional fares so we invite Nigerians to use the best deals to Johannesburg,” she said.

The Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) has announced the highlights of this year’s Summer Surprises (DSS) shopping festival programme.

Running from June 21 to August 3, this year, DSS will bring residents’ and visitors’ six-week line-up of retail promotions, world-class entertainment, gastronomy picks and much more as the annual festival lights up the city this summer season.

Organised by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), the 22nd edition of DSS will offer an array of summer deals across the city’s shopping outlets, attractions, hotel staycations and family entertainment.

For this year, there will be a variety of returning favourites such as Modhesh World, Deal of the Day (an exclusive deal every day on one brand, in one location for one day only), live concerts and many more. The festival will also offer new elements set to excite residents and tourists alike, including huge chances to win life-changing prizes throughout the summer period.

Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), said: “There is always great anticipation and excitement among the city’s residents and visitors for Dubai Summer Surprises, so we are very pleased to reveal this edition’s dates. As one of the most popular events of the Retail Calendar, the annual summer festival attracts visitors from all over the world, offering six-week of sales, chances to win and world-class entertainment. We look forward to the incredible events and activations that our retail partners have in store for this year’s festival and once again welcome and encourage everyone to experience all that Dubai has to offer during the summer months.”

Foodies in Dubai can enjoy a feast of gastronomy delights from the city’s many eateries, including fine dining restaurants, coffee houses and street food cafes during DSS. One of Dubai’s best Asian seafood restaurants, 3 Fils in Jumeirah Fishing Harbour, features innovative dishes, small plates and great vibes. Foodies can also dine at some of the hottest new places in town, including The Kasap at The Pointe, which serves authentic Turkish cuisine, as well as the exciting new Japanese joint Akira Back at the W Dubai, The Palm.

THE Managing Director, Ethiopian Airlines (ET) International Services, Mr. Esayas Wolde Mariam Hailu, has called on the Nigerian authorities to increase security in baggage handling areas of the country’s international airports to reduce the incidence of unscrupulous individuals planting illicit drugs on the luggage of unsuspecting passengers.

His words: “We are always very serious about the security of our operations and customers and as to this specific case, we have discussed with all the authorities on how the process of baggage screening should be done in a way that insures safety is at the peak. We, together with other airlines like MS, ground handling company and the security company raised the need for scanning machines, sniffing dogs at the airport which should be arranged by the authorities.

“We have also placed strict control on the ground handling company and the security company as well. In short, below are the check lists we are using: sensitizing all handling staff to strictly follow the standard passenger check-in procedure, interview all passengers in regards to their baggage, who packed it and details at point of check-in; to make sure passenger by him or herself has to appear for check-in of baggage; the security company to make sure all bags are searched; proper supervision and control is in place at baggage area; to tighten the security, check, additional security check at transit (ADD).”

Mariam Hailu, commenting on the recent B737 Max-800 accident involving ET’s plane flying to Nairobi and the impact of the withdrawing of the aircraft brand from the company’s flight, he said: “Fortunately, the accident did not have much negative impact on our fleet utilization and our load factor mainly due to two reasons. The first one is the continued trust and confidence among the travelling public on our safety standard.

“The second reason is that March to May was a slack season in our operation, so we could manage with the available fleet in our possession. As we have more than 110 aircraft in operation currently, so we review our fleet plan and swap capacity to optimize aircraft utilization. June to September is  a peak season in our operation, so we are considering all options to mitigate aircraft shortage we may face during this period.”

On the plan of the airline for Nigerian market, the ET boss said: “The operation in Nigeria will continue with the maximum effort to give a five-star service with our most modern aircraft. We plan to grow more in Nigeria in terms of frequency and operation wise. We also plan to do more on corporate social responsibility in Nigeria.” Mariam Hailu took time to  explain the secret and business model behind the huge success of the airline as the biggest in terms of flight seize and the best in Africa.

He said: “We attribute our success to a range of factors, including: meticulously chosen business model and robust execution strategy; self-sufficiency in training aviation personnel who embody the values and spirit of Ethiopian Airlines; utilization of latest technology – Ethiopian is the frontrunners in embracing latest industry technology in Africa; management autonomy – despite state ownership, Ethiopian Airlines is managed by seasoned aviation professionals without meddling by the government in its day-to-day operations; unique and strategically located hub – in the middle of the East-West major trade lane.”

He said the  airline has had huge input in the GDP of Ethiopia and the overall economy of the country.

He said:“As one of the most thriving state-owned enterprises, Ethiopian Airlines has been contributing to Ethiopia’s economy in terms of foreign currency generation. The airline plays a catalyzing role in the development of Ethiopia’s tourism sector.

“Through its freight services, Ethiopian Airlines facilitates  import-export trade. Today, Ethiopia is second in Africa in horticulture export thanks to the connectivity the airline created.”

On Nigeria’s quest for a national carrier, he said the airline was willing to provide support and expertise for the successful establishment of a national carrier and that the airline was making progress in helping the Ghanaian government to establish its national carrier.

He said: “The project is in good progress and both parties are working closely in order to realize it as soon as possible.”

Being one of  the airline’s major market in Africa, Mariam Hailu  said:  “ET has been consistent with the country from close to 60 years (since 1960). Ethiopian Airlines has been serving the Nigerian public since independence and has never stopped its operation. We always give the best to our Nigerian travellers by deploying the most modern, newest aircraft from our fleet collection; availing best and short connections to more than 120 destinations; availing attractive promotional fares and packages (for tourism travellers) to all our destinations;  allowing e-visa  and  on arrival visa facility; having LFW second hub we always make sure that Asky’s airlines schedules meet the demands and requirements of our Nigerian travellers. For instance, Asky is starting a new direct flight to Johannesburg  for which additional flight is mounted from Lagos to give best connection.

“Ethiopian has also been carrying out different initiatives to discharge its corporate social responsibilities which include: tree planting initiatives – under its fly greener initiative Ethiopian has been planting a tree per each passenger it carries, in cooperation with partners; granting free air ticket to people in need of medical assistance overseas; sponsorships of different initiatives which benefit societies such as sports competitions, and many others.”

Mariam Hailu gave his opinions on how to grow aviation in the African continent. He said: “We believe that Africa needs to liberalize its sky if the full potential of African carriers are to be unleashed. Open sky policy is in the best interests of African airlines as it boosts their efficiency by reducing the high operational costs such as high airfares and airport charges. Liberalized airspace will help strengthen collaboration among the carriers towards claiming the market share they deserve.

“Ethiopian Airlines has been advocating for the implementation of the Single African Air Transportation Market (SAATM) per the Yamoussoukro Decision. So far, a number of African countries have signed SAATM which, once implemented, will drive down airfares by allowing carriers of signatory countries to freely access each other’s airports.”

THE Envoy by Mantis, a luxury hotel in Abuja, was voted at the  26th annual World Travel Award as Nigeria’s Leading City Hotel 2019. The World Travel Award is globally recognized as the most prestigious honour programme in global travel and tourism.

The World Travel Award, Africa  and Indian Ocean gala ceremony 2019, took place on Saturday  in Mauritius. It  is the regions’ most prestigious travel and tourism event of the year, and it brought together the leading industry figureheads and VIPs from across Africa and the Indian Ocean for an unrivalled networking experience.

“Sersirgwe Group is very excited about this award. We wouldn’t have achieved this feat without the management prowess of our operator, The Mantis Group. We all make a great team. Well done all!” said Bitrus Kwaji, Chairman of Sersirgwe Group.

The Envoy by Mantis has raised the bar for luxury hospitality and personal indulgence in Abuja from the day of its grand opening in March 2018. The Envoy stands prestigiously on Diplomatic Drive in the heart of Abuja. Upon the first impression, guests will be delighted by the modern façade, matched perfectly by chic furnishings and advanced technological facilities.

The Envoy is a hotel of the present and the future, and has been built to operate in support of the environment

Southern Sun Ikoyi is set to recognise and reward staff members of the hotel next week for their dedicated and exceptional service in the past decade which has ensured that the hotel has consistently maintained the leadership as the business hotel of choice in Nigeria.

Speaking about the event, Sales and Marketing Manager, Ubong Nseobot, expressed delight about the impact of the staff members on the success story of the hotel within the past decade.

She continued by stating that, “the hotel is one which has focused on improving its staff through trainings within and outside the shores of the country to better improve them as individuals and representatives of the brand.” Ubong further stated that, “the overall top quality service to guests which the hotel is famed for is a testament to the commitment and collaborative efforts of Southern Sun Ikoyi staff members in ensuring that every experience at the hotel gives guest the nostalgic feeling for a repeated visit and beyond that become ambassadors and partners of the brand.”

She used the medium to appreciate the vital roles of staff members of the hotel, most especially those to be recognized who have spent the past decade through dedicated and committed service to ensuring that Southern Sun Ikoyi has grown to become the benchmark for industry standard in exceptional delivery of service to guests.