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Tag: Omolara Adagunodo

  • Four, Five-star hotel bookings peaked during Black Friday – Jumia MD

    Jumia’s hotel & flight marketplace has announced that booking for four and five-star hotels peaked during the just concluded Black Friday which ran between November 2nd and November 30th, 2018.

    The Managing Director of Jumia’s hotel & flight marketplace, Omolara Adagunodo made this announcement during a press conference held at Krispy Kreme, Victoria Island, Lagos, to review the outgoing year and to disclose the plans for 2019.

    “We recorded over 50% increase in 4 & 5-star booking during Black Friday because we crashed the prices by almost 80% and overall booking grew by 20% year on year compared to black Friday 2017″, Adagunodo said.

    Speaking on the performance of flight for the year under review, Adagunodo said: “There was a 300% growth in flight business because we innovated and partnered with the likes of Amadeus, Kiwi.com and Air Peace among others. I must also mention that we have the Best Available Rates as we hit 61% in BAR for 2018.”

    For corporate booking, the managing director said: “We established a robust corporate team fully dedicated to our corporate clientele and I can tell you that corporate bookings and transactions increased by 50%. Despite this, it has not stopped us from pushing retail sales.”

    Looking forward to the upcoming year, Adagundo disclosed the marketplace is planning to work on value-added services to drive value for the growing clientele, seal key partnerships to drive online and offline sales and offer a full bouquet of travel solutions to include cruises, visas, concierge and ground transport.

  • Jumia commends lawmakers for passing Lagos tourism agency bill

    The Managing Director of Jumia’s Hotel & Flight Marketplace, Mrs Omolara Adagunodo, on Wednesday commended the Lagos State House of Assembly for passing the bill to establish the state’s Tourism Promotion Agency.

    Adagunodo, in a statement, said that Lagos was a tourism hub and it was high time the state had a robust agency to promote tourism.

    The State House of Assembly had on Nov. 5 passed a bill for a law to provide for the establishment of the Lagos State Tourism Promotion Agency and for connected purposes.

    The Agency is being put in place to promote the state’s tourism industry and achieve international best practices in the delivery of tourism products and services.

    Adagunodo said the bill arrived at the appropriate time, with tourism’s contribution to the national economy evolving.

    The managing director urged other state houses of assembly to take a queue from Lagos and begin the process of setting up tourism promotion agencies.

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    She said that dedicating an agency to the promotion of tourist hubs in Lagos would undoubtedly increase tourism contribution to the economy.

    “The bill will further boost the status of the state as a one-stop destination for local and international tourists.

    “It will help in the promotion of various destinations and attractions in the state, including the National Theatre, Lekki Conservation, Badagry and Takwa Bay Beaches, among many others”.

    She said that the 54-section bill spelt out some of the objectives of the new agency, which include promotion, marketing and developing the state domestically and internationally as a major tourist destination by highlighting its uniqueness.

    Adagunodo said it would develop and promote the state as a premier travel and tourist destination.

    “It will also attract and increase tourist arrivals, direct tourism investment, identify and develop potential tourism destination in the state,” she said.

  • Nigeria Travel Awards: NTDC DG, others appointed judges

    The Organising Committee of the Nigeria Travel Awards by  Jumia Travel has announced the appointment of Folorunsho Coker, the Director General (DG), Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), as a jury member for the 2nd edition of the Awards.

    Others include Michael Balogun, CEO Tour2Nigeria; Babatunde Onibudo, MD Pearlwort Hotel; and Omolara Adagunodo, MD, Jumia Travel.

    The jury’s decision will contribute 5 per cent  of the outcome, while the other 50 per cent will be from the public through a voting process.

    Meanwhile, the award ceremony which was slated for last Thursday,  January 25 was postponed to Thursday, February 1, 2018. According to the Head of PR & Marketing for Jumia Travel, Olukayode Kolawole, the change of date will provide ample time for more people to vote.

    There are seven award categories which are: Customers’ Favourite Hotel 2017, Customers’ Favourite International Airline Company 2017, Best Destination Website 2017, Jumia Travel’s Booking Award 2017, Traveler’s Choice Hotel 2017, Best Leisure Hotel in Nigeria 2017 and Best Business Hotel in Nigeria 2017

    The nominees for the Customers Favourite Awards are: Ibis Hotel Ikeja; Golden Tulip Festac; Federal Palace Hotel and Casino; Southern Sun Hotel and Towers; Owu Crown Hotels; Greatwood Hotels Ltd; Newland Luxury Apartments; Citiheight Hotels; Pearlwort Hotel and Suites; Southern Sun Ikoyi; and Park Inn by Radisson.

    The nominees for the Customers’ Favourite International Airline are: British Airways; Turkish Airlines; Ethiopian Airlines; Air France; Etihad; Emirates; Egypt Air; and Rwandair.

    The nominees for the Customers’ Favourite Local Airline are: Medview Airlines; Dana Airline; Arik Air; Air Peace; Azman Air; Overland Air; and Aero.

    The nominees for the Best Travel Blog/Website are: TVP Adventures; Unravelling Nigeria; Travel With A Pen; EatTechTravel; Social Prefect; Irinajo; Naija Adventures; Khalid, The Workaholic; and Naijanomads.

  • Entrepreneurs: Create processes to protect your startup- Jumia Travel MD

    Entrepreneurs: Create processes to protect your startup- Jumia Travel MD

    The managing director of Jumia Travel  Nigeria, Omolara Adagunodo has said creating processes that will protect a business and its owners is one of the crucial ingredients necessary for the survival of a start-up. Adagunodo made this remark during a fireside chat on the opportunities and challenges of running an e-commerce business in Nigeria at the just concluded CEO Apprentice Africa programme organised by the digital arm
    of Business Day tabloid.

    The Business Day CEO Apprentice boot camp focuses on equipping teenagers; ages 15 and up with the skills required to set up a business. The program features the use of the latest technology in training,including the use of a workbook, which becomes a functional business plan, teaches young entrepreneurs how to come up with a business idea, how to structure their company, how to price their products, product testing and market validation, customer segmentation, competitor analysis and go to market strategies.

    At the event which held at Microsoft office in Lagos, Adagunodo emphasized on the importance of creating processes that will ensure the survival of the business and cater to the untold challenges that will arise in the lifespan of the business. “Often times,” she said, “a lot of entrepreneurs overlook the relevance of putting processes that will guide the business to its future. Some often realise this when it becomes too late and perhaps damaging to the business.”

    Adagunodo also listed some of the challenges facing small businesses (SMEs) in Nigeria to include, cash flow management, incomplete documentation, lack of access to funds, limited human capital, poor data/information management and government regulations.

    In a similar vein, the co-founder of Jobberman, Lekan Olude who interacted with Omolara on the challenges of e-commerce in Nigeria, said the survival of a start-up, to a large extent, is dependent on its workforce. Hence, he encouraged aspiring business owners to always look out for people who believe in the company’s vision and can give constructive criticism.

    Olude also stressed the importance of partnerships with bigger brands. He mentioned that one of the partnerships that turned around the fortune of his company was with the telecom company, MTN. He encouraged the young teenagers at the event to always trust their instincts and their
    staff.