Keyamo, Others to Grace Tourism Summit in Abuja

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo and his counterpart at the Ministry of Culture, Arts, Tourism and Creative Economy, Dr. Hannatu Musa Musawa, are expected to participate at the 7th edition of the National Tourism Transportation (NTT) Summit and Expo in Abuja. The summit is billed to run from Tuesday, December 3 to Wednesday 4, 2024 at the Velodrome, Package ‘A’, of the M.K.O. Abiola National Stadium.

Other important dignitaries are also expected at the event by the Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria (ITPN) in conjunction with the tourism industry players in the private and public sectors. This year’s edition with theme titled “Tourism Transportation Connectivity: Accelerating The Synergy for National Economic Development”
will feature several activities including City Walk of Abuja and Tourism Transport Summit, Exhibition (B2B and G2B sessions). Other events lined up are Membership and Fellowship induction ceremony, and a Gala Night for presentation of awards to deserving stakeholders in the industry.
The National President of the ITPN, who also doubles as Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Organizing Committee of the Summit, Chief Abiodun Odusanwo, said the NTT Summit and Expo serves as a stop gap mechanism approved by the 15th National Council on Transportation which recommended that the event be held in view of the interconnectivity that exists between transportation and tourism.
Odusanwo said singular act underscores the connectivity brought by transportation which is at the heart of the tourism-transport value chain, adding that the event traditionally seeks to explore and strengthen the links between both sectors and maximize their impacts on employment, inclusive growth and sustainable development of the economy.

“Since this approval, the National Tourism Transportation Summit and Expo became a combined industry event during which the Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria (ITPN), partnered and collaborated with the Federal Ministries of Tourism, Aviation, Transportation and related stakeholders, leading to the successful hosting of six editions; 2018 – 2023, with the plan for the seventh edition this year, at the concluding stage,” he said.

He went down memory lane and recalled previous editions of NTT summit pointing out that the organisers have decided to prioritise communiques of past editions in order “to accomplish the purpose for which the summit was approved and being hosted.”

According to him, in hosting the 7th edition of the Tourism Transportation Summit and Expo this year, organisers took cognizance of the vital documents that the past six editions have produced in the form of communiques and seek to bring into effect their implementation as roadmaps to give the industry players the leeway to play their respective roles in the most appropriate ways that guarantee the best economic benefits for the country. Hence the theme: Tourism Transportation Connectivity: Accelerating The Synergy for National Economic Development.”

The ITPN President reiterated that awareness must be created of the relevance and importance of communiques of the past summits so as to accomplish the purpose for which the Summit and Expo was approved and being hosted. As he
reeled out some of the presentations expected as sub-themes of the Summit during plenary sessions, he said this year’s summit is to reaffirm the need for synergy and collaboration in areas of operations of the tourism transportation sector for national economic growth and development. He further disclosed that event speakers for this year’s edition are drawn from key players of the public sector represented by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and the Organized Private Sector (OPS) as drivers of the industry.

“These include the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), leading discussions on the sub-theme; “Encourage Massive Investment in Water Front Properties, Resource and Etiquette Training;” Nigeria Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), to head discussions on: ‘Connect and Explore: Trusted Travel Hub for Seamless Journeys’.

“The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) will lead presentations on ‘The Relevance of Directional Signs in Tourism Transportation,’ and the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), will lead presentations on ‘Artistic Collaboration and Partnership in Tourism Transportation’

“The National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) to lead the panel of discussants on ‘Personnel Training for Enhanced Performance and Service delivery in Tourism, Transportation, and Allied Industries ‘; while the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet) is leading discussions on ‘Impact of Climate/Weather Forecasting on Tourism in the Sectoral Planning of Nigeria.’

“The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) will chair discussions on ‘Nigeria’s Non-Oil Export Procedures: Sharing Expertise on Export Documentation, Logistics and Freight Management in the Tourism Transportation Sector.’

Participants at the two-day event will be drawn from major key players and stakeholders in the transportation and tourism sectors such as the airlines, tour and travel companies, administrators of the aviation industry; the maritime industry operators, road transport operators, including major transport owners, car hire and hail ride services. In addition, road traffic and safety agencies, including the FRSC, motor insurance companies; state transport ministries and agencies; rail transport services, are also expected to take part.

Others are operators of the Tourism and Hospitality industry including resort operators and national parks.