NIHOTOUR to Host Biggest Gastronomy Festival in Nigeria

    Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

    The management of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) has announced the hosting of Gastronomy Festival at the Abuja International Conference Centre on June, 16 and 17, 2023.

    This year’s Gastronomy Festival is the third consecutive food and beverage exhibition and sampling event annually organised by NIHOTOUR since 2021.

    According to a statement issued by Ahmed Mohammed Sule, director, Media and Public Relations, and made available to THISDAY yesterday, the theme for this year’s event is: ‘Culinary Arts: The Gate Way to Growing Tourism Destination’.

    Disclosing highlights of the Gastronomy Festival in his office in Abuja, Nura Sani Kangiwa, director-general and chief executive officer of NIHOTOUR, said the event would feature among others exhibition of indigenous gastronomy by exhibitors prominent among which are the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), and that will as usual showcase indigenous Nigerian cuisines from the six-geopolitical zones of the country.

    The National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism of Nigeria is established by an Act of Parliament to train, certify and register personnel in Nigeria’s hospitality, travel and tourism sector.

    Accordingly, NIHOTOUR Gastronomy Festival is conceptualised to upskill Nigerian gastronomes on the nitty-gritties of the preparation and presentation of foods, especially Nigerian traditional cuisines, with the objective of improving the expertise of personnel in the industry.

    Moreover, due to the dearth of skilled culinary artists in Nigeria, NIHOTOUR Gastronomy Festival provides one of the best opportunities for hospitality and tourism stakeholders, students, and enthusiasts to have hands-on learning and perspectives on the sustainability of developing tourism destinations using activities of Gastronomy Festivals as promotional tools.

    Further to that, with the preponderance of game hunting, using traps in Nigeria, which inadvertently endangers wildlife and hinders Nigeria’s wildlife conservation efforts, the Gastronomy Festival will copiously advocate for responsible tourism practices in Nigeria.

    The event will attract over 5,000 visitors and industry stakeholders who participate in the experiential learning of food production, processes and indulge in free sampling of diverse Nigerian and international cuisines and beverages on display.

    There will also be conferences involving Nigeria’s leading tourism and hospitality stakeholders and business operators, as members of the Hospitality and Tourism Sector Skills Council of Nigeria (HTSSCN). Additionally, NIHOTOUR would deliver training and masterclass for members of the Association of Nigerian Journalists and Travel Writers (ANJET).