2024 NTT Summit and Expo’ Holds December 3

The National Tourism/ Transportation (NTT) Summit & Expo will be taking place on December 3.

Established to be the largest domestic and international gathering bringing together over 1,500 business leaders, high-level investors, policy makers in Nigeria, Africa and around the world, the NTT Summit & Expo is an all-inclusive interactive discourse event aimed at stimulating deals and transactions across the untapped synergy opportunities in Nigeria tourism and transportation space.

This year’s edition, the 7th in the series, will prioritise implementation of vital communiques from the previous six editions of the annual business meet as it seeks to further deepen synergy already established between the tourism and transportation sector operators in the country.

The National President, Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria (ITPN), and Chairman Inter-Ministerial Committee for NTTS 2024, Chief Abiodun Odusanwo, who announced the set date recently said implementation of the communiques is expected to form the focus of the seventh edition, and by implication, a roadmap for the tourism and transportation industry operators.

Odusanwo explained that with the implementation the summit aims to effectively give industry operators the leeway to play their respective roles in the most appropriate ways that guarantee the best economic benefits and further ensure growth and development for the country.

Organised this year under the theme: “Tourism, Transportation Connectivity: Accelerating The Synergy for National Economic Development,” the event is billed fo run from Tuesday, December 3 to Wednesday, December 4, at the Velodrome, Package ‘A’, of the M.K.O. Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.

The organisers said the
annual NTT Summit and Expo which began in 2018 following the Federal Government’s desire to deepen synergy and interconnectivity between tourism and transportation sectors of the economy has grown to become one of the popular events on the business calendar of the country as private and public sector operators in the industry have already started making enquires to ensure their participation.

According to Odusanwo, other critical themes and areas of focus at the summit include: “Encouraging Massive Investment in Waterfront Properties, Resource and Etiquette Training, as well as Ensuring Professionalism and Improved Customer Service Delivery at Nigerian Airports through the Eradication of Unwholesome Practices.”

Other sub-themes include “Connect and Explore: Trusted Travel Hubs for Seamless Journey; The Relevance of Directional Information Signs in Tourism Transportation Operations; The Role of the Nigerian Customs Service in the Effective Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA)” as well as ” Artistic Collaboration and Partnership within the Tourism Transportation Sector.”

A guideline has also been released by the inter-ministerial committee as part of the programmes lined up for the 2024 edition of the summit and it include the traditional Host City Walk which will be taking place on Saturday, November 30, with participants starting the race from the Old Parade Ground, Area 10, Garki Abuja.
Odusanwo said
“This is intended to give participants the opportunity to build the vigour and strength that will see them through the two-day event. He added that the
“The Summit and Expo events will come up with paper presentations, discussion sessions as well as exhibition of products and services by delegates and participants at the Summit and Expo. In addition, B2B and G2B sessions will also feature in the tourism and transport event that promises to be fulfilling.”

On the exhibition’s content, the committee chairman disclosed that it will seek to create a platform among stakeholders at both national and international levels as well as public and private sectors ‘to interact in a serene atmosphere with customers and investors leading to an understanding of the connectivity and operational ease of cooperation between the two industries and most importantly overcome impending challenges and hurdles of the tourism transportation inter-connectivity.’

“It is to further provide the platform for operators in the aviation, road, railways, maritime, and those within the hospitality and tourism value chain and within the confines of national and international operations, to showcase their products and services to consumers, business membership organisations and to the regulatory agencies,” he explained.

The NTT Summit and Expo, a multi-industry business forum which has remained public-private sectors-driven since its inception in 2018, is also expected to feature an awards and investiture forum for this year’s edition.

“It has been sustained with the collaboration and partnership between critical operators in the tourism and transportation service sector, financial and insurance companies, air, road, rail and marine transport operation facilitators, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), corporate organizations, including those from the oil and gas sectors, national security operatives, international organizations, the diplomatic Community in the country.

“The Summit and Expo has an Award and Dinner/Gala Nite component which comes up on Wednesday, December 5, 2024 at the same venue of the Abuja National Stadium, during which the Tourism Transport Fellowship inductions of deserving practitioners, key players and critical stakeholders of the industry.
It is instituted to recognise excellence in the Travel & Tourism/ Hospitality and related fields of operations critical to the sector.

“The induction allows the industry to recognise those individuals, organisations and events that have gone over and above board to offer superior tourism transport experiences. The investiture is meant to encourage the individuals and organizations to keep providing the diverse range of high-quality tourism and transport services so that tourists keep coming back year after year. This is meant to offer leisure moment to participants, delegates and visitors in an informal environment to socialize, an integral aspect of hospitality which Nigeria is well known for.

“The Summit and Expo will be rounded off with the Abuja City Tour on Thursday, December 5, 2024,” the committee chairman also said.

Odusanwo informed that this year’s NTT Summit and Expo follows on the heels of and in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration’s resolve which seeks to create a framework and clear policy guideline on the need for a symbiotic synergy between transportation, particularly, aviation, with tourism.