The Nation Newspaper

Category: Tourism

  • SA Tourism appoints new director for West Africa

    South Africa Tourism has appointed  Thekiso Rakolojane to lead the organisation’s destination marketing efforts and to expand strategic business partnerships in  Ghana and Nigeria.

    “The West African markets are critical to us being able to achieve the goal of 5  million tourist arrivals by 2021 because the potential to grow the region is  significant enough to make a big impact to South Africa’s tourism results,” says  Sthembiso Dlamini, Chief Operating Officer at South African Tourism.

    Growth in tourist arrivals means a better performing economy and increased job  creation. In South Arica, 1.5 million jobs were supported by travel and tourism in  2017, which is 9.5 per cent  of the total employment in the country. The total contribution

    of travel and tourism to South Africa’s GDP was R412.5bn (8.9 per cent  of GDP) in 2017 and is forecast to rise by 2.9 per cent  in 2018. Rakolojane takes over from Hloni Pitso who has since been appointed as head of SA Tourism’s South Europe Hub. Rakolojane brings 18 years worth brand management experience to his new role and will  call upon his tourism industry knowledge to  ensure market excellence.

  • Ethiopian Airlines take delivery of 8th B777 aircraft

    Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics Services, which is Africa’s largest cargo operator, has taken delivery of its 8th B777 freighter aircraft in its cargo fleet  recently at its home base, Bole International Airport. Maintaining its trajectory of rapid growth and expansion in the global cargo industry, Ethiopian Airlines Cargo Service plays a critical role in providing global standard supply chain management in facilitating import and export economies of African countries.

    Regarding the delivery of the new freighter, Ethiopian Group CEO, Mr. TewoldeGebre Mariam said, “We are very delighted to welcome our 8th B777 freighter aircraft. The new aircraft will help us bolster our leading role in cargo operation in Africa and beyond, further expanding our commendable contribution in boosting the continent’s airfreight export/import traffic as laid out in our Vision 2025. As the largest cargo operator in Africa, we are currently serving over 44 international dedicated freighter destinations in the Africa, the Gulf, Middle East, Asia, the Americas and Europe, augmenting the export of perishable farm products from the continent of Africa and the import of high value industrial goods.

  • South Africa holds Women’s Day

    Early this month,  the South African Consulate in Nigeria celebrated South Africa’s National Women’s Day 2018 at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos. The consulate hosted dignitaries, media partners, stakeholders and Consuls General including Ghana, Equatorial Guinea and several other countries to a night of centenary celebrations.

    The National Women’s Day is an annual South African public holiday which commemorates the 1956 women’s march in Pretoria to petition against the country’s pass law and this year, South Africa remembers Albertina Nontsikelelo Sisulu, a political activist, a nurse and one of the important leaders of anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. She amongst other women spear-headed the march of 1956 and this year, South Africa celebrated her centenary.

    Albertina Nontsikelelo Sisulu, who was often referred to as the “Mother of the Nation,” lived with the people and led them to rise against the abominable system of apartheid and misogyny. From Cape Town, Soweto to Huhundi and Galeshewe, she was known for her warmth as a leader, whose love for freedom was unwavering.

    In his address, South Africa’s Consul General Mr. Darkey Africa talked about the legacy Albertina Nontsikelelo Sisulu left behind “We learn about leadership, through her suffering, we learn about the patience of a nurse to conquer pain. We learn about her burning desire to release her people from the pain of oppression. We learn about selflessness and service to humanity”.

    The Consul General, to end his speech,  made a call-to-action to emulate the life and times of Albertina Sisulu by intensifying efforts in the society against subjugation of women. “Mama Sisulu calls on us to forever strive for this ideal, to emancipate women so that Africa can prosper. We must now begin to nurture a 100 more Albertina Sisulus. None amongst us can be her, but we can emulate her example, know her story and attempt to help humanity”.

    This year is of special significance as it commemorates the birth of Albertina Sisulu, Nelson Mandela and the formation of the Bantu Women’s League – the Bantu Women’s League was the first women’s organization in South Africa which was founded in 1918.

    South African Tourism alongside South African Consulate thanks partners and friends on the continued support of the now annual celebration: a wonderful opportunity to celebrate women’s achievements.

  • Why I declared state of emergency in tourism Lalong

    Plateau State governor  Mr. Solomon Lalong, has said his administration is working hard to re-establish the state as one of the foremost tourist destinations in the country. In the light of this, the governor said his government is adopting tourism as mainstay of the state’s economy. He made the remark during the tourism summit held recently in the state. At the summit, Lalong declared a state of emergency on tourism in a bid to fast-track the development efforts.

    Speaking  on the security challenges in the state vis-à-vis his tourism vision, Lalong said: “ I want to give credit to the first governor of the state, who in his wisdom saw the need to create and put lots of potential on

    tourism in the state. I think he brought the first museum, zoo and a lot of things because the potentials are all there and after that Plateau was nicknamed ‘the home of peace and tourism because of the weather and the people’s hospitality.  So, we kept on calling it home of peace and tourism until when we started having some crisis in the state. But even after that crisis, we still use the same slogan for

    the state. Plateau is the only place where people are running when they have crisis and where people will run to when they look for cool place for their holidays. Eventually because we have the crisis. But

    for that long period, we wanted to pay attention to tourism. We need to develop some policy frame work to guide the process that unfortunately we have not done, all we always mention about tourism we have not done. But this time, even with the presentation and conference I was touched and that was why we decided that we would invoke state of emergency on tourism. By that, it means that we are going to focus and put more attention on tourism as a source of great revenue  not only for  Plateau State but also for Nigeria, because instead of running to Kenya or UK because of the weather, what we just need to do is to develop that in Plateau State and people will find a much more better holiday resort for themselves.”

    Lalong said he decided to declare a state of emergency  to explain that his government would pay full attention to tourism. His words: “When I mentioned state of emergency, I mean full attention will be placed and focused on tourism in Plateau State, because we know many sources of revenue in the state. We have agriculture, which we are developing right away, we have minerals that are already there and we have also made tourism part of our five policy thrust. First of all, we are working on peace and security. You cannot introduce tourism without peace at the same time if you have peace what do you do? You must enjoy it. So tourism and peace go together. So,  by the term state of emergency, I mean practical attention on tourism.”

    The governor lamented that sometimes, the wrong impression is given about the state, saying: “Let me say that sometimes  seeing is  believing, because the impression given outside not only on Plateau but sometimes when a visitor  is coming to Nigeria, people will tell you at the airport that you have to be very careful. Also what the international community say about this country is unfortunate. I like the way, my friend, the Director-General, Otunba Segun Runsewe gave it out  at the conference telling them that the western stereotypes were figment of their imagination because they tell a wrong story about Nigeria and it is high time we gave them the right perspective through our rich culture and right narratives. And again the impressions given about Jos outside are different from the reality. when you came to the state, you saw a lot of traffic  right from the entrance of the state to the city. You will see a lot of traffic, virtually every week.  Recently I had a meeting with the business community and they were telling me that hotels are now too few to accommodate visitors in the state  and that they were looking for opportunity to build more hotels to accommodate people during the weekends. They even lamented about scarcity of accommodation during holidays.

    “So when I hear people saying that there is no peace in Plateau, I wondered which part of Plateau they are referring to. At least most of you have been in Jos the past 48 hours and up to a week, you can see that there were no crises anywhere unlike the sentiments by some media and social media platforms  that Plateau State is a no go area.

  • Lai Mohammed, NIS boss, others headline NTIFE 2018

    Nigeria’s  tourism will be on song next week as travel professionals, stakeholders, government officials and the business community converge on Abuja for this year’s edition of the Nigeria Tourism Investment Forum and Exhibition (NTIFE) organised by the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN).

    Speaking on the event, which is billed to hold between November 21 and 22 at the Abuja Sheraton Hotel, the President of FTAN, Alhaji Saleh Rabo, disclosed that this year’s forum is a watershed in the history of the federation because of the importance its places on driving Nigeria tourism development.

    With the theme, Infrastructure and Security: Catalyst for Sustainable Tourism Development, he said the gathering would address some of the key aspects of the nation’s tourism drive, hence the federation has lined up relevant speakers and operators in the different areas to speak on the theme of the two- day event.

    The special guest of honour and keynote speaker is the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. Other speakers include: The Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Muhammed Babandede, the Director General of the National Bureau for Statistics (NBS), Dr. Yemi Kale and the Chairman of Philips Consulting, Funsho Philips.

    A number of states across the country and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) alongside other related businesses, including airlines, are expected to exhibit their products and services during the event which will  also feature a number of special packages.

    According to Rabo, NTIFE  is dedicated to the promotion of domestic tourism as it is a forum for the various associations and players in the tourism industry to interact and network as well as showcase their products and services.

  • Glizt, glamour as monarchs, others celebrate Olokun Festival

    It was another entertaining grand finale, for probably the oldest privately funded festival in Nigeria, the Olokun Festival at the Suntan Beach, Badagry, Lagos. The Olokun Festival which was conceptualized by Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Abiodun Adams in 2002, is in its 16th edition. It has become a rallying point for the propagation and promotion of Yoruba tradition and culture. It is also a source of promotion of tourism in Badagry and Yorubaland as a whole.

    Suntan Beach, the host venue of the Olokun Festival witnessed thousands of Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) from within and outside the country. There were also top traditional rulers from Nigeria and Benin Republic in attendance.

    The Olokun Festival is an eight-day  event with activities such as both regatta, festival float, traditional dance, beauty pageant, ayo olopon (a Yoruba traditional leisure game) and many other activities.

    The grand finale last Wednesday had music display, cultural dance and traditional Yoruba activities.

    In his address at the occasion, the Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, represented by Prince Babatunde Ajose, commended organisers of the festival for their contribution to tourism in the state. He said the Olokun Festival is captured in the tourism masterplan of the state and that the Lagos State government will partner with the organizers to move the festival forward. He also commended the organisers for the huge economic contribution of the festival to the economy of the state which he put in the region of N300 million.

    Despite the huge turnout at the festival, the horrible state of the international highway linking Lagos and Seme border town was of huge concern to the guests.  The promoter of the festival, Iba Gani Adams, decried the current state of the highway saying it is a disincentive to tourism in the area. He said: “Badagry has some of the greatest tourist sites and can by a major tourist destination in the world, but our government both at the federal and state levels need to partner with private organizations to boost tourism across the country. It is sad the road leading to Badagry has been under construction for close to a decade. This has affected people plying the road daily. It has also affected the economic potentials of the ancient town.”

    He said considering the importance of the road as international highway used by both ordinary citizens and diplomats from all over the world, it ought to fixed immediately.

    Gani also lamented that other historical cum tourist sites including  Point of No Return in Gberefu Island, have not reached their full potentials, calling for immediate face-lift of the sites in the area.

    On the celebration of the festival, Gani said: “Today’s event is not about the fun, merriment or jamboree. It is about how best we can sustain our cultural identity. It is not about the festivity and celebration, it is about the Yoruba heritage. It is about sending a message of hope to everyone that shares our dream.”

    Gani said  despite starting humbly in his quest for cultural rebirth, he and his group have succeeded in making remarkable progress by extending the frontier beyond the shores of the country. He said: “At every of our struggle and cultural evangelism, we have shown great confidence and respect for our traditional institutions.”

    The high point of the festival was bestowing of honour to some deserving sons who have contributed to the promotion of Yoruba culture as Olokun ambassadors. They include: Chief Abiodun Fagboro, Otunba Aderinokun Babs Olurinde, Mrs. Yemi Ajide Olayinka, Abayomi Mate( Ifankalleuyah), Bashiru Adisa (Baba Gboin), Fakoya Qudus Olwadamilare (Qdot) and Mr. Muyiwa Oshinaike.

    Among the traditional rulers present at the occasion were a representative of the Alafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, the Akran of Badagry, Oba De-Wheno Aholu, the Timi Of Ede, Oba Munirudeen Adesola Lawal and many others.

  • Over 900 youths for skill acquisition at NAFEST 2018

    The free skill acquisition component of the 2018 edition of National Festival of Arts and Culture, NAFEST, received a major boost with over 900 youths lining up to acquire various skills during the course of the event in Rivers State.

    A major aspect of NAFEST 2018 as packaged by the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) in collaboration with the Rivers State government is focused on building capacity and equipping youths with several skills to promote self sufficiency and entrepreneurship.

    During the course of NAFEST 2018, thousands of youths will acquire skills in the areas of soap production, bead making, fashion design, shoe manufacturing, makeup, art and craft design and many more.

    The Director-General, NCAC, Otunba Segun Runsewe, reaffirmed this position while addressing both trainers, trainees and guests at a Stakeholders’ Round-Table on Entrepreneurship held at the Obi Wali Event Centre in Port Harcourt forming part of a cocktail of events for NAFEST 2018.

    Runsewe said: “The human angle to capacity-building is very important and this will be fully explored because we believe the youths must be empowered in our drive towards a better Nigeria”

    The NCAC boss stressed that NAFEST 2018 will not only be a display of fanfare but an avenue to empower youths to create wealth while also preparing them to assume the role of future leaders fully equipped with the requisite skills to take Nigeria to the next level.

    The festival  will last for one week with other interesting components like indigenous games, traditional wrestling, cultural market, free medical checkups, traditional folklore, music and dance amongst many other varied inclusions.

  • FG’s visa-on-arrival policy is boost for tourism, says minister

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said the Federal Government’s Visa-on-Arrival policy has started yielding fruits, especially in the tourism sector which has been boosted by the policy.

    The minister made the assertion in Abuja on Monday, when he received members of the Latin America Motorcyclists Association (LAMA), who were in Nigeria for a tour of heritage sites and other tourist attractions in the country.

    ”All our visitors here today got visa on arrival. That shows that the Federal Government’s visa-on-arrival policy is working,” he said.

    Alhaji Mohammed said the presence of the international bikers in Nigeria is a testimony to the fact that the asdministration’s quest to promote the country’s cultural heritage and tourism sites is yielding fruits.

    ”As you tour Nigeria, under the ‘Rediscover Heritage Bikers Tour of Nigeria’, and visit historical heritage sites, you beam the searchlight on those sites for the world to see.

    “You will see these heritage sites for yourselves as you travel through our culturally-rich and diverse nation. These sites include museums, monuments, homes of national heroes and other tourist sites,” he said.

    The minister therefore enlisted the support of the bikers to become Nigeria’s heritage ambassadors by spreading the news of the country’s hidden treasures and their experiences while in the country.

    In his remarks, the President of LAMA, Mr. Mario Nieves, said the group, which consists of members from 24 countries, was in Nigeria to rediscover the country’s culture and heritage as well as promote unity among the human race.

    “We are just a group of humble motorcyclists that decided to arrange and create some type of impact in our society. We believe that it is more important to be human than  to be black or white or oriental or Indian, because we belong to the human race and we believe that we are all one people,” he said.

  • Lagos to be among top three tourism destinations in Africa:Steve Ayorinde

    The Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, has said the state in the past few years has demonstrated commitment to the business of tourism and promotion of arts, culture and entertainment as part of its growth strategy. Ayorinde was speaking as part of the activities to mark the World Tourism Day. He said the state was happy to further propel its tourism and creative economy agenda with a brand new tourism master-plan, the first of its kind by any state in Nigeria.

    He said: “Lagos State government is in tune with the world to mark this day which is celebrated globally as the World Tourism Day. We have always acknowledged this day and this year has Budapest in Hungary as the ‘host celebrant nation’  with technology and digital transformation as its focus. This theme is pleasing to us as it speaks to our current short to medium term plans for tourism development.

    “We are marking the day with the formal presentation of the Lagos State Tourism Master-plan to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and we are having a round table in-house to unveil the master-plan to our officers because this is the plank upon which the tourism promotions agenda of the state for the next 20 years will be anchored. The formal presentation of the master-plan to stakeholders and CEOs of 100 top brands and multinationals who are expected to be our key partners in the tourism growth agenda will be done later next month.”

    On whether the state needs the tourism master plan, he said: “We are convinced that we do. In every nation where tourism has thrived, a blueprint is always required. Your vision must be clear and you need a roadmap to drive it. This is what a master-plan does; it identifies what you need to do and how to do it. This is similar to what Lagos State has achieved in the political-economy space. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu conceived the idea of a Lagos State Development Plan. Governor Fashola berths it in 2012 and handed it over to Governor Ambode. This is what the state is running with till 2025. The tourism master-plan will work in a similar fashion with one governor handing it over to his successor while the deliverables are attended to in order to diversify the economy and create a good image for the state.”

    Ayorinde also spoke on the input of the Federal Government. “The master-plan was commissioned directly by the Lagos State government and it is a blueprint that focuses largely on specific areas of need for the state. But in execution, yes it will have a lot to do with Abuja, other states and the private sector.

    “The truth is that you can’t market a state in isolation. You will always be a component of a big, beautiful and diverse country that we really are. Issues of national carriers; ideal airports, visa on arrival and courteous consular officers representing the country all over the world are exclusively within the federal purview. But we are lucky in Lagos that the two people running tourism at the federal level – the Honourable Minister and Director General of Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation are both Lagos products who have the interest of the state at heart.

    “We enjoy a very cordial relationshipwith them and we are always happy to key into their efforts at promoting the tourism and cultural landscape of Nigeria as a whole,” he said.

    Ayorinde also spoke on the tourism vision of Lagos.  “We want to make Lagos State one of the top three tourism destinations in Africa. We are there already as a business and entertainment hub. But as a leisure travel destination, we need to work a lot harder to climb high in ranking for both domestic and international tourists. This  is why our ministry is saddled with the responsibility to formulate, execute and monitor policies relating to the tourism sector and the creative economy in general. The ministry also promotes investments and regulates operations in the tourism, hospitality and entertainment industries in the state.

    “First we have adopted the popular buzzword coined by the governor himself – Tourism, Hospitality Entertainment and Sports for Excellence (T.H.E.S.E) as our focus. In three years, the ministry is fulfilling its mandate creditably well; changing the profile of Lagos into that of a city with a vibrant artistic soul. The state’s landscape is being beautified daily with iconic statues and public art installations that have engaged a wide spectrum of Nigerian artists.

    “Six new 500-seater theatres are being built simultaneously across the state to expand the frontiers of opportunity for talented youths; four out of the six will be opened this December; the Onikan-Marina axis is being turned into an arts and culture district with its first major offering, the J.K Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History nearing completion. The Lagos Museum project within the same district will soon commence with a grant from Ford Foundation and strategic partnership from the Musee du quai Branly in Paris and the British Museum.”

    The former Commissioner for Information added: “Our ministry conceptualised and has supervised since December 2015 the popular One Lagos Fiesta which has become arguably the biggest end-of-the-year concert in Africa with its unique template of holding simultaneously across the five divisions of Lagos in the last eight days of the year. If you consider that up till 2014, the LagosCountdown was a one-day, one venue affair, but in three years, One Lagos Fiesta is fulfilling two major obligations – democratising and decentralising the idea of fun and entertainment and giving every part of Lagos a sense of belonging you will appreciate why OLF has become a significant part of our socio-economic service to the people. Similarly, more artists are engaged and given the opportunity to perform at Ikeja, Badagry, Epe and Ikorodu in addition to Bar Beach and in the process we are creating a whole new economy around those towns for eight consecutive days. Also, with a Calendar of Arts Events released in January to aid planning and visits around the state, our ministry believes we will always give visitors a reason to spend an extra day or two in exploring this smart mega city that is full of fun, art and cultural enterprise.

    Explaining how Lagos can tap into the competitive edge the state has in water, Ayorinde said: “I think aqua tourism has always been an important and recognisable component of the tourism eco-system in Lagos State. And it ought to be so because water constitutes about 22.5% of the land mass of the state. So the state is keenly aware of its God-given gift – the lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean. The Prest Boat Cruise for example has promoted water tourism on the lagoon in the last 15 years or so.

    “Several other cruise packages have been added in the last three to five years. And because of the huge awareness and serious commitment of this administration to everything tourism, several business concerns are adding to the water tourism component of the sector. The Lagos Boat Club is growing and as you must have heard, the governor recognises and supports its contribution to the development of the sector.

    “From La Campaigne Tropicana in Ikegun to Ilashe Beachfront and Inagbe waterfront resorts, awareness and investments are growing in the area of water tourism. On the part of government too, this administration has maintained the annual Boat Regatta carnival among several other initiatives.”

  • SA Tourism hosts Ita-Giwa, Banky W at Akwaaba Travel Fair

    South Africa Tourism(SAT) was one of the countries that participated in the just concluded 2018 AKWAABA – African Travel Market, the biggest travel and tourism show in West Africa. The fair brings exhibitors and buyers to meet with airlines, hotels, restaurants, tour operators, travel agents, state tourism boards, foreign trade and tourism sectors from over 20 countries in Africa and the UAE.

    To market destination South Africa, SAT South was one of the exhibitors. At the stand, South African Tourism, had an imposing stand to engage with trade, consumers and exhibitors alike, sharing information on the offerings the destination has to offer in line with the focus of the event for this year 2018 which included; introducing and encouraging African tour operators who promote African destinations to Africans, growing future of aviation in Africa, showcasing wining and dining as a key element of tourism through food fair, wedding destinations, SPA and wellness across Africa and engaging youths in Africa tourism  and travel.

    At the opening, Trade Relations Manager: West Africa for South African Tourism, Mr. Mohammed Tanko Kwajaffa, received the Director General, Nigerian National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Chief Otunba Olusegun Runsewe,  who declared the exhibition open alongside other top dignitaries from across the continent at the South African Tourism Destination Stand. The DG expressed his admiration saying: “We are very proud of South Africa as they made the whole of Africa proud during the World Cup 2010 as the first African country to host the World Cup.”

    Mohammed Kwajaffa, explained the huge impact AKWAABA has brought to Africa ‘s travel trade and tourism saying “One of the key game changers at Akwaaba Travel Market this year was the inclusion of the Local & Small-scale Tour Operators & Travel Agents to exhibit as it attracted more foot fall from their own clients and followers.” Also in attendance were NANTA BOT Chairman, Mr Steve Isokarie, NATOP President, Hajiya Bilikisu Abdul, FTAN President, Alhaji Rabo Kareem, HATMAN President, Mr Badaki Aliyu Ajayi, NANTA National VP, Mrs Susan, NANTA VP Lagos Zone, Mrs Lola Adewale, NANTA VP Western Zone, Mr Dagunduro Tokumbo all of Nigeria and from Ghana TOUGHA President, Mr Kwesi Eyison, GHATOF Rep, Mr Ahmed Naaman, and celebrities such as Ghanaian famous actor, Van Vicker and Nigeria’s famous singer and  actor, Banky W, contemporary vocalist and  chanter, Ire ‘D’ Stage Diva and many more who visited the South African Tourism destination stand.