Kangiwa, Runsewe to headline conferences, training at 17th Akwaaba

Director-General of NIHOTOUR, Turaki Nura Kangiwa, will be the Guest Speaker at Hospitality Day (on November 30) at this year’s Akwaaba Africa Travel Market. He will be supporting the Special Guest Otunba Segun Runsewe, the Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC).

The 2-day travel market will have exhibitors from Dubai, Ghana, Gambia, Nigeria and East Africa. It will be smaller in size than the 2019 edition as organisers aim to adhere to COVID-19 protocols.

The Hospitality day is making a comeback to Akwaaba as it was last held in 2016, with experts expected to address issues facing the sector. Kangiwa will speak on How to Scale Hospitality Training to Meet International Standards, while the panel will include Tana Forsuelo of Wavecrest, Victor Kayode of NHCI and Justina Ovat – President Women in Hospitality Nigeria.

How have hotels helped the tourism industry recover from the pandemic lockdown? This is a hot issue and Amaechi Ndili, President Golden Tulip Hotels West Africa, will be speaking on The Role of Hotels in the Leisure Economy & Tourism Recovery.

Since the 2013 Supreme Court Judgment that took away the powers of the Federal Government to regulate tourism, how has the industry responded? What are the grey areas and what should the practitioners do? Chief Sam Alabi, Chairman BOT of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria FTAN, a Lawyer will speak on The Limits of State Regulation of Tourism and Hospitality Businesses.

The African Travel Market will begin on November 29, with the Youth Tourism Panel. The panel consists of the champions and pioneers of domestic tourism in Nigeria. They are expected to share their experiences on how they started and how they survived the challenges and the future plans. The panel will have the Pioneer of Instagram Tourism Promotions in Nigeria, Chiamaka Obuekwe, CEO of Social Prefect Tours.

She will be joined by Bolaji Seun of Naija Explorers, Dr. Onifade Adekunle Eedris of Universal Aviation School, Aminat Akanbi CEO of Triplisters, Cordis Marianuela Umeokoli CEO of Mardis Travels and Sam Adeleke of Travelwith SamGlobal. The Session will be moderated by Obinna Emelike the Tourism and Art Editor Bussinesday Newspapers. Olugbenga Sunday Omotayo, the Promoter of Idere Hills in Oyo State, will also share his experience on how he moved from Hotel Management to Destination Manager.

Meanwhile, international Delegates at Akwaaba African Travel Market will be Guests at this year’s African Movie Academy Awards AMAA taking place on November 28.