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Tag: FTAN

  • FTAN raises committees for NTIFE 2018

    The Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) has announced the staging of its yearly the Nigeria Tourism Investors Forum and Exhibition (NTIFE 2018) which is slated to hold in Abuja in November, even as it has set up a Local Organising Committee (LOC) and sub committees to plan for the travel and tourism trade related event.

    Speaking on this development, the President of the FTAN, Alhaji Saleh Rabo,  lamented the inability of the federation to hold the event last year due to what he described as unavoidable logistical issues that confronted the federation.

    But this year, he said the stage is set for the NTIFE, which he said is dedicated to the promotion of domestic tourism and create a forum for the various associations and players in the industry to interact and network as well as showcase their products and services, is coming back with a bang and promises to be enriching and fulfilling.

    To this end, he said a Local Organising Committee (LOC) with him as the chairman has already been put in place and that the LOC has since swung into action with the setting up of different sub – committees, which will soon be inaugurated.

    The sub–committees, which are headed by members of the federation with different core competences and expertise, including fund raising and marketing, media and publicity, event and management and secretariat.

    Rabo revealed that this year’s event would be a notch higher and different from the past editions as it would build on the gains so far garnered by it and introduced new and refreshing aspects to the two days event, with the aim of making it diverse, vibrant and colourful as well as embracing for all sectors in the industry and allied sectors.

    According to the federation president, the NTIFE is a strong brand created by the FTAN deployed towards the development and promotion of Nigerian tourism and that this can only be achieved through the effective participation of both the public and private sector active involvement.

  • FTAN promotes tourism in Southeast

    Vice President, Southeast Federation of Tourists Association of Nigeria (FTAN), Mrs Ngozi Ngoka, has described the tourist sites in Southeast as marketable and capable of attracting increased traffic if the infrastructure are developed.

    She said the association was in discussion with some stakeholders on how to address the issues.

    Ngoka, who spoke on efforts to showcase potential of tourist sites in Southeast zone during a tour organised by FTAN for tourism reporters/tour operators of five eastern states, said involving stakeholders in tourism was the only way to effect change.

    She described the tour as her little  contribution to a better Nigeria, saying: “We owe it to ourselves and our children to make the country better so that we are not left behind in the global scheme.’’

    On the marketability of the heritage sites, she said: “Well, the truth is that all the sites we have visited are viable in their raw form. But,they will have increased traffic if infrastructure and facilities around the sites are improved and in some cases developed. We are  in discussions with stakeholders as a result of our findings,” she said.

    According to her, the tour was to let tour operators and tourism journalists see amazing sites in the Southeast. “Our focus is primarily to walk journalists and tour operators through the amazing historical and cultural sites in the Southeast using well-researched sample itineraries that will appeal to both local and international tourists, with the hope that the exposure will drive tourism traffic to the zone and help generate income for the communities where these tourism sites are located, plus, ultimately, boast the businesses of our federating members.

    “Our federating members have businesses that cover the spectra of the tourism chain from transportation, accommodation/feeding to site seeing/entertainment. So, essentially, we’ll explore the best ways to get to the Southeast, how to move around; Where to stay; what/where to eat and what to do while you are in Southeast. It is our hope that our invited guests will help tell our story and highlight where government and private investors can come in and help provide standard access roads and other infrastructure around the sites we have identified.

    “I believe strongly that the only way to effect change in tourism sector is to actively get involved. If we all sit down and remain elegiac about the situation, nothing will change. I’m an advocate of small collective efforts-every positive move adds up to a big change. It is also my way of contributing to a better Nigeria.”

    She said the tour was easy to sell as hotels and transport firms that participated have been recording increased bookings.

  • Tourism Federation collaborates with NBS to enhance data collection.

    Tourism Federation collaborates with NBS to enhance data collection.

     The Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) says  it is  collaborating with the National Bureau of Statistics(NBS) to enhance data collection on tourism to attract investors.

    The President of the Federation, Malam Saleh Rabo, told the Reporter  on Thursday in Abuja that the nation’s economy needed to benefit from  the immense potential of its tourism industry.

    “With our newly established department of data and research, we are collaborating with NBS to see how the private sector can help improve the collation of data in the tourism industry.

    “This will enable people who want to invest in the sector to have reliable data and other information that will encourage and stimulate them.

    “So, we are working with them and by the grace of God we are repositioning FTAN so that the benefits of tourism can be enjoy by everybody,’’ Rabo said.

    Rabo stressed the need for infrastructure such as  roads, electricity and security  to enable the  tourism sector in the country to flourish, saying the  efforts of the Federal Government should complemented by the other tiers.

    Read Also:Nigeria’s inflation drops to 15.37% in December 2017 NBS

    According to him, the federation is not relenting on its efforts to encourage  genuine investors to come into the sector so that the economy can continue to enjoy the benefits of tourism.

    On the involvement of youths in tourism activities, Rabo expressed satisfaction with the participation of  Tourism Youth Organisations in the development of the sector.

    “In fact, a Motor Rally Association joined us recently; they are youth association which promotes the culture of `Safe Driving’ and then try to promote motor rally in Abuja and Nigeria in general.

    “Nevertheless, there is nothing you can do without involving the youth because they are the backbone of every society. Therefore, we are involved in all tourism activities in the country,’’ he said.

    On the lull in the activities of the Presidential Council on Tourism after its inauguration two years ago, Rabo said it was not unconnected to the myriad of  challenges facing the country.

    “FTAN is a member of the council. I believe everybody understands the situation in the country today. There are challenges we are having on security issues.

    “The government is trying its best to tackle those challenges. If those have been nipped  in the bud, the council will come together and do something about tourism.

    “This is because tourism is a sector that is supposed to drive the economy. I hope after the storm the PCT will sit to see to issues in the sector,’’ Rabo  said.

    NAN

  • FG to host 2018 African Tourism Ministers conference

    FG to host 2018 African Tourism Ministers conference

    The Federal Government said it would partner with the Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria ( FTAN ) and other stakeholders in hosting of the African Tourism Ministers in June 2018.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed gave the assurance on Monday in Abuja, when a delegation of FTAN led by its National Chairman, Alhaji Kareem Rabo paid him a courtesy call.

    Nigeria, at the 22nd United Nations World Tourism Organisation ( UNWTO ) General Assembly held in September in Chengdu, China, won the right to host the Conference of UNWTO Commission for Africa in Abuja.

    Mohammed said FTAN, a statutory umbrella body of every association involved with tourism was crucial to successful hosting of the conference.

    He said from its membership ranging from tour operators, airlines owners, car hire operators, and hotel owners as well as other professional bodies in the sector, FTAN remained a major stakeholder in tourism industry.

    Read also: Argungu Fishing Festival: FG,  tourism stakeholders to partner Kebbi State

    “There is no way we can organise the conference without FTAN being co-opted in either the general purpose committee or the sub-committee.

    “You will be very much involved because it is FTAN that will provide services at the airports, the hotels and as guides of the visitors.

    “The impression that our visitors will have about Nigeria will depend on the effectiveness and competence of the various associations under FTAN.

    “Therefore, you should be rest assured that we are going to carry you along,’’ he said.

    Also responding to the request by FTAN for its members to be appointed on the board of Tourism Parastatal Agencies, the minister said the enabling Acts of some of the government establishments already catered for it.

    The minister said the government efforts at resuscitating the Presidential Council on Tourism was on-going and it would be made a priority of the ministry in 2018.

    Mohammed reiterated his commitment to the culture and tourism portfolio of his ministry.

    Earlier, Rabo had underscored the importance of the private sector to the development of the industry and the need for government to partner with the association in its activities.

    He said FTAN was ready to synergise with the ministry in realising the 2017 Declaration as Year of Sustainable Tourism Development spanning till 2030.

    Rabo also congratulated the minister on his recent election as the UNWTO Vice President for Africa and urged him to use the position to grow the industry.

    NAN

  • FTAN prepares for AGM

    The Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) has stepped up preparations for its 2017 Annual General Meeting (AGM)  for the election of a new national executive council for the federation which is the umbrella body of all tourism associations in the country.

    Speaking on the meeting, which is scheduled to hold on 29 at NANET Suite, Abuja, at the Association of Nigerian Journalists and Writers of Tourism (ANJET) media forum, the president of the federation, Tomi Akingbogun, said it is going to be a milestone event in the annals of the federation and Nigerina tourism industry.

    According to him, all the federating associations, including government officials and private operators in the allied industries, are expected to attend the meeting with the theme: ‘Financing as a catalyst to a sustainable tourism development.’

    The key speakers are to address the issue of funding for tourism, which he said, is the bane of developing and marketing the tourism industry.

    Akingbogun said he would use the occasion to give account of his leadership of the federation in the last four years having served two terms of two years each.

    He disclosed that a lot of achievements were recorded during these four years despite the challenges that the federation had to contend with.

    Besides celebrating the milestones of his regime, he promised members an exciting and fulfilling time during the one-day AGM.

  • FTAN holds exhibition

    THE 2016 edition of the Nigerian Tourism Investors’ Forum and Exhibition (NTIFE) organized by the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) was held last week in Abuja.  The event was organized by the FTAN  for the public  to interact and look at investment opportunities in Nigerian tourism and discuss its challenges and the way forward.

    The two-day event, which had reasonable attendance by federal government agencies, states and private sector  participation, had presentations by the National Institute of Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) and the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC).

    In his welcome address, the FTAN president, Chief Tomi Akingbogun, said the forum offered states and council areas the opportunity to come and showcase their potential to investors.

    He said: “NTIFE is the right place for all local governments, state governments  and the federal government to come and compete  for private investors. Our expectation is that all states and  council areas will come here to show us the private investors, what relative advantages they have for us in different areas.

    “Is it easy access to land or documentations, is it tax holidays for new businesses, is it trained labour and so on?

    “We the private sector expects to be courted to invest in Nigeria and  different areas of administration. It is only through our several investments that government can generate revenue through taxes, create employment and reduce crime.”.

    Delivering his paper at the event, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said tourism has become a key sector of the economy of many countries, and Nigeria, with its huge population of 170 million, can benefit from it.

    He said further: “As a labour intensive industry, tourism has the potential to create more jobs per unit of investment than most other industries. The sector also has the potential to be a sustainable engine for economic growth and diversification.It is a major asset to Nigeria’s quest to become one of the twenty largest economies in the world by year 2020 which is barely four years from now.

    “Therefore, there is the need for urgency, if the country is to realize its vision. Permit me to observe that the tourism industry generally is assuming increasing importance in most countries of the world because of its many facets which serve as tools for economic recovery, diversification and development. It enhances women’s economic opportunities, promotes their effective control over resources and offers safe spaces for women and girls to develop support networks and life skills.

    “For individual countries, the advantage of the tourism sector lies in its employment-creating potential and the challenge it presents for the enhancement of the quality of the environment. Through the development of the tourism sector, a country could become well placed to promote the development of its traditional cottage industries, tourist attractions and even the people’s lifestyle and heritage to the world at large.

    “I can confidently state that even nowadays, as countries are battling to overcome the adverse effects of crisis, resulting from severe recession and worsening economic conditions, tourism could be one of the pillars which, if properly supported by governments globally, could stimulate economic recovery, development and a brighter tomorrow for all.”

  • FTAN prepares for tourism investment forum

    FTAN prepares for tourism investment forum

    THE Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) is set for the 2016 Nigerian Tourism Investors Forum (NTIFE) scheduled to hold on November 29 and 30 in Abuja. The theme for this year’s edition is Tourism: Tool for Economic Recovery and Development.

    The NTIFE will bring together experts in the travel and tourism trade to deliberate and make recommendations to both the private and public sectors. Federal and state governments’ agencies involved in travel and tourism are also expected to participate in the deliberation.

    The forum, according FTAN, offers opportunity for the promotion of Nigeria as a tourist destination. Through the opportunities for exhibition during the two-day event, private sector practitioners, states and agencies of the federal government are offered opportunities to showcase their tourism products and potentials and be able to meet with potential investors in tourism.

    Also during the event, issues affecting the growth and development of tourism in the country are brought to the fore, with experts and practitioners offering solution on the way forward.

    It will also bring together investors in travel and tourism and policy makers from the public sector to a platform for meaningful discussions on the development of the sector.

    NTIFE, according to FTAN, has become even more important now that the federal government has identified domestic tourism as one of the avenues for poverty alleviation. This, it says, has become imperative given the fact that tourism is one of the world’s largest industries, generating an estimated 11 per cent of the world’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    The industry employs about 200 million people and annually transports nearly 700 million people. This, the organiser says, is what the NTIFE would the government achieve.

    NTIFE, organisers say, will help the government harness the full tourism potentials of the country in the quest to diversify the economy.

    Speaking on the this year’s NTIFE, the chairman of the committee for the forum, Otunba Ayo Olumoko, said this year’s event would be an improvement on past editions, as it was the first time FTAN is setting up a committee with a mandate to organise the forum. He said the gesture has brought a certain level of professionalism that the committee has the duty of sources for fund, bringing in corporate participation and reaching out to different states. He said this year’s NTIFE would witness greater participation for the public and private sector.

    On the format that the forum would take, Olumoko said participants would have opportunity to exhibit their products and services. There would also be cultural presentations from states and groups.

  • FTAN commends information minister

    The Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) has commended the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, for convening the national culture and tourism summit billed for next week to fashion out a way for the Nigerian tourism industry.

    Speaking on the summit scheduled to commence on Wednesday next week, FTAN President, Chief. Tomi Akingbogun, said the tourism industry in Nigeria is on a back foot and the industry would totally be extinct, if efforts are not made to go back to the drawing board and fashion a way forward.

    Speaking on the summit, Akingbogun said: “FTAN is very much involved in the stakeholders’ summit by the minister. We are happy he is a listening minister because we have been communicating with him. He is kicking off with everybody sitting at the same table to look at the challenges and proffer solutions.

    “In the past, the ministry would come up with policies that were strange to the private sector. That is the reason for the summit, to carry everybody along. We are happy he has taken the right step. We also want to thank the ministry officials for their inputs.”

  • FTAN forum tourism holds next month

    The Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria [FTAN] in collaboration with the Federal Capital Territory Administration [FCTA] has announced that the second edition of their Tourism Investment Forum will hold next month.

    The event slated for June 10-11, 2014 will be held at the prestigious Ladi Kwali Hall of Abuja Sheraton Hotel and Towers.

    According to Chief Tomi Akingbogun, President of FTAN, the objectives of the program are to among others enable stakeholders to discuss and address some vital element towards the development and maintenance of tourism products and destinations that can induce creation of new tourism frontiers.

    Other reasons according to Akingbogun for the forum are, to showcase the potentials of the tourism sector to the economic development of Nigeria; to organize as well as to promote local tourism products and destinations to Nigerians before taking the same to the international market; and to strengthen relationship between the tourism investors and their services/product providers.

    The two-day event will include seminar and exhibition and are expected to give a new direction for the tourism industry; with participants expected from federal agencies, states, airlines, hotels, travel agents, and tour operators among others.

    Meanwhile, this year’s edition presentations will include; Developing Nigeria’s Travel and Tourism: The Kenyan Experience by the Managing Director of Kenyan Tourism Board, Travel and Tourism Contribution To Nigeria Gross Domestic Products [GDP] by the Director General of Federal Office of Statistics [FOS], Identifying Nigeria’s Tourism Products by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation and Medical Tourism: Prospect in Ondo State.

  • New president for NHCI

    Nigerian Hotel and Catering Institute (NHCI) has elected Mr. Gabriel Adebayo Ayodele  the new President. He is a fellow of the institute and Controller, Marketing and Sales of Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja.

    Ayodele is saddled with the responsibility of running the organization for the next one year at an election held during the 13th annual general meeting of  NHCI in Lagos last week.

    Ayodele’s predecessor and immediate past president, Mr Bola Jaiyeola, General manager, Business Development, Odua Investment Limited, now represents the institute at the National Council of Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria (FTAN).

    Other fellows of NHCI elected into the new council include Mallam Aminu Kabo, First Vice – President; Mrs. Bola Dada, Second Vice – President and Alhaji Gbenga Dau’ud Sunmonu as Third Vice-President.

    To further strengthen the foremost hospitality institute, about six notable professionals representing vast interests in the hotel and tourism Industry were appointed. They are Mr. Kazeem Durosomo, a fellow of NHCI and the Institute of Hospitality, United Kingdom, representing the hotel sector; Mrs. Angella Kachukwu representing hospitality and welfare sector; Col Beatrice Echenzu (rtd), representing institutional sector.