Nigerian Tourism Award introduces new process or 2020 

Ahead of this year’s edition, the organisers of the Nigeria Tourism Awards have introduced a new awards scoring system. This replaces the previous process whereby winners emerged after a public nomination and thereafter, public voting process.

The awards scoring system requires every potential winner to enter for the awards and then be scored by inspectors on a set criteria for their entered category. This gives the entrants a better chance to win the prestigious award based on merit, as against depending on the limited knowledge of the public about their current or previous state.

To improve the quality of the awards process, the organisers have used the downtime occasioned by the Coronavirus pandemic to research and carry out surveys of the entire awards process. The most significant outcome of that study is the change to an award scoring system, which eliminates the chances of particular brands continuously winning due to long entrenched public sentiments.

Nnena Fakoya – Smith, project coordinator of the awards said, “Nigeria tourism awards seek to remain at the most prestigious award celebrating innovation and excellence in Nigeria’s tourism industry. It is a strong platform to showcase the work of the best of the industry and promote outstanding brands and stakeholders.”

Ten of the awards categories for 2020 will go to individuals, who have been outstanding in their contribution to the growth of domestic tourism in Nigeria. These categories include the Tourism Personality of the Year, Royal Support for Tourism, Best Tourism Commissioner and the Best Tourism Governor. There will also be special recognition awards for tourism investment, tourism support, tourism infrastructure and essential duties for public sector players who excel in tourism-allied sectors like the police, immigration, parks etc.

According to Olanrewaju Samson, Activations Director for the awards, the best tourism commissioner will be judged based on the overall scores of the state-owned attractions. This is to encourage the commissioners to be more attentive to the quality of their attractions, which is critical to the growth of tourism. The best tourism governor award will go to the governor with the friendliest policies towards tourism and the travel trade, and who has shown the most commitment in providing infrastructure for tourism.

At a time when there is increased attention for tourism around Nigeria, especially with the impact of COVID-19 on the national income and the need to diversify the economy, the competition for the awards is expected to be very keen.

“We are excited and looking forward to honouring the winners whose contributions and professionalism represent the hope we have for a thriving tourism industry in Nigeria,” said Efetobo Awhana CEO of The Balearica Awards, the organisers of Nigeria Tourism Awards.