October 3, (THEWILL) – The Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN), has honoured three leading stakeholders in tourism promotion, as Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark 2022 World Tourism Day (WTD).
Speaking on 2022 WTD theme, ‘Rethinking Tourism’, the president of FTAN, Mr Nkereuwem Onung, said that the trio comprised Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State; the Director-General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), Alhaji Nura Sani Kangiwa; and Mrs. Margaret Fabiyi.
Onung called on the Federal Government to rethink the level of investment and funding for tourism in Nigeria through increased budget allocation.
He also urged the government to rethink its decision to merge tourism parastatals and instead, empower them to meet their mandates or give tourism a stand-alone ministry.
He noted that it was time for Nigeria to have a tourism Master Plan and policies.
For him, the Special Day is a time to come together to celebrate the many and various accomplishments of the sector.
He said: “Today, we celebrate the resilience and survival of the industry and her investments from the deadly Covid-19 pandemic. Let me also salute the resilience and courage of the tourism communities and sympathise with those who lost their jobs, money and businesses the world over.”
He observed that tourism in Nigeria had suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic and it is still suffering post-pandemic. He said the crisis has inspired and catalysed creativity and accelerated the transformation of work bringing both challenges as well as enormous opportunities to ensure even more people get to benefit from tourism restart.
Meanwhile, this year, the city of Bali in Indonesia will host World Tourism Day. In his official message, the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy in Indonesia, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, said, “The pandemic highlighted critical need to transform the tourism industry.”
About the Author
Janefrances Ebere Chibuzor is a Tourism Writer at THEWILL
