TravelHub Vows to Stop Touting in Travel Industry

Charles Ajunwa

Practitioners in the travel industry under the aegis of the TravelHub have vowed to put a stop to the activities of faceless briefcase agents that tout the industry which they said have resulted in unsuspecting travellers being victims of their dubious activities.

They also commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for arresting a notorious fake travel agent in Kaduna, saying that the fraudulent activities of the travel agents apart from giving the industry a bad name, have continued to be a source of concern to the genuine and professional travel practitioners.

Chief Executive of Travel and Logistics Centre Limited and member of TravelHub, Mr. Yinka Folami, who stated these during a press conference organised by members of TravelHub held at its head office in Opebi, Ikeja, Lagos, said TravelHub is a collaborative travel agency platform that provides physical and virtual office spaces and facilities to upcoming and credible agencies at no cost.

“The idea behind TravelHub is to continue to say no to faceless briefcase agents that tout the industry, many of whom unsuspecting travelers have fallen scam-victims to. it is also to redeem the credibility of genuine and professional travel practitioners continuously battered by frequent reports of high incidences of fraud in the industry.

“Unknown to the travelling public, many of us credible travel agencies are heavily invested in training, capital, and capacity and do not deserve the negative perception. Ticketing, today, is a detailed art that requires professional service inclination and consulting approach. The travel agent therefore needs to be found in a good place and not on the street,” Folami said.

Mr. Folami, who was joined at the meeting by the BOT Chairman of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), Mr. Dayo Adeola, President of NANTA, Mrs. Susan Akporiaye, former vice president, NANTA, Lagos Zone, Lola Adewole, Awosikunde Allen, said TravelHub also supports members at times of need through a credibly established cooperative society (Esusu) and access to Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO).

Mrs. Akporiaye, who clarified the position of the umbrella body travel trade operators in Nigeria, on the status of Kaduna-based agency, noted that all available verifiable information at the disposal of the association, shows that the purported travel agent, has no relationship with the association and therefore, should not be so addressed.

She stated that NANTA has invested time and money to address the various challenges posed by touts in the industry, and warned members of the travelling public to be circumspect when planning their trips and who to engage.

“Before COVID-19, NANTA launched its membership identity card with security features that cannot be cloned and it behoves on the traveler to request for the identity profile of the travel professional before doing business. We frown hard at fraud in the sector and have taken critical measures to address it,” she explained.

On measures to further check fake and fraudulent operators, Mrs. Akporiaye disclosed that efforts are ongoing to educate and create awareness among security agencies on the measures put in place to muscle touts out of the system, adding that a recent visit to the office of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) was rewarding while a visit to EFCC, will be initiated in earnest.

“It kills and demoralises the efforts of registered and genuine travel professionals when touts are labelled as travel agents. It is demeaning and we pray that the security agencies and the media should reach out to NANTA to verify such purported agents before going public. We are ready to even disown our members who may run foul of the law and be seen to have defrauded any member of the travelling public,” she noted.

Mr. Adeola, a veteran in travel, said the idea of TravelHub is not entirely new but that the unique point is that TravelHub is more focused on the strength and growth of the upcoming agents referred to in the industry as Sub-agents.

“The key take-out here is one voice, which is strong and commendable,” adding that TravelHub deserves applause and travel agencies will get more interesting post-COVID-19.

The Managing Director of Halogen Security, Mr. Wale Olaoye, said “passengers on their part are advised not to patronize any travel agent that does not have clear identity traceable to a credible location and travel association like NANTA.”