The National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) has collaborated with the Tour Operators Union of Ghana (TOUGHA) to organise the maiden edition of the African Tourism Conference to hold in South Africa in May .
President of NANTA, Mrs Susan Akporiaye, who gave an highlight of the association’s programmes in April and May to a select aviation and tourism journalists in Lagos on Wednesday also added that the event which was created by two industry associations, NANTA and TOUGHA has already been endorsed by South Africa Tourism (SAT).
“We are glad to inform you that for the first time, in Africa, two industry associations, NANTA and TOUGHA endorsed by South Africa Tourism (SAT), will be hosting a hybrid multi-layer tourism industry conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, in May, 2023, she said.
Speaking on why NANTA and TOUGHA decided to pick South Africa to host the inaugural edition of this conference despite the xenophobic tendencies in the country,Akporiaye said that it is not all South Africans that do not like Nigerians adding that those exhibiting xenophobic attitudes towards Nigerians are very few.
She said, “If they don’t like Nigerians, we will use tourism to make them like us. Don’t forget the conference is not only to sell our culture and tourism but to also unify Africa.”
She added that the SAT is going to bear the cost of putting the entire infrastructure needed to make the conference a success in place, adding that it is a huge investment on the part of SAT.
“Both bodies assembled the best faculty from the University of Johannesburg on tourism enterprise and related businesses, to help define and determine the immediate and future drive of the industry, its profitability, and challenges.
“This unique conference, which will be certificated, is open to individuals, organisations, and agencies in Nigeria and Ghana, particularly those with eyes on impacting positively on the growth and sustainability of the various value chains in the African cultural tourism economy.
“We must appreciate and commend the management of South Africa Tourism (SAT), particularly their teams in Nigeria and Ghana for the special interest in our growth through knowledge-based exposures and assistance to our clients wishing to visit, trade, and immerse in South African hospitality and culture.
“We no doubt hope to sustain the west coast tourism collaboration between Nigeria and Ghana after the South Africa outing,” she added.
Also, the NANTA President who was in company of the Vice President, Lagos, Mr. YinkaFolami, the Treasurer, Mr. YinkaLadipo and the Secretary Stanley disclosed that the association’s 47th Annual General Meeting will hold in Abuja from April 25 to 27.
The 47th AGM with theme “Professionalism: A Key to Surviving Aviation Downstream Turbulence and its Exploitative Effects, will also have the Executive Vice Chairman of Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), MrBabatundeIrukera as a guest speaker.
“Irukera will speak at the event, not only on how they can confidentially protect its businesses and clients, but also on how to navigate challenges of foreign airlines trapped funds and its impacts on members businesses,” Akporiaye explained.
