Amaechi, Mohammed, FRSC AIB for second transport, tourism summit

The Minister of Transport, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, and Alhaji Lai Muhammed, Minister of Information and Culture will be the special guests of honour at the second, International Transport and Tourism Summit (ITTS) scheduled to hold in Abuja from April 27 to May 1, 2019.

In a release made available by Chief Abiodun Odusanwo, chairman, Local Organising Committee of the event, the two ministers whose ministries are vital to development of tourism in Nigeria will rub minds with stakeholders at fashioning out effective headway for the transportation and tourism sectors.

According to him “This year’s edition is unique in many ways because of the theme, focus and content. For instance,  the theme for this year’s summit: ‘Tourism and Transportation Inter-dependences for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development’ is well thought-out to address a fundamental issue affecting the blossoming of the two sectors “

He revealed that the Corps Marshal-General of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Corps Marshal-General Boboye Oyeyemi, and the Commissioner/ Chief Executive Officer of Accident and Investigations Bureau, Mr. Akin Olateru, would be lead speakers in addition to the heads of the Nigerian Institute of Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) and Nigerian College of Aviation (NCAT) who are going to discuss topics which are germane to the survival of the sectors

Chief Abiodun Odusanwo said the summit would bring together stakeholders, regulators, decision makers and chiefs in transport and tourism to come and exchange ideas. This year we are going deeper; we are looking at tourism for inclusive growth and interdependencies for inclusive growth and sustainability. Last year we just looked at them generally but this year we are looking at their interdependencies.

Reason is that having   that there was need for connectivity between them. This year, we now look into how dependent they are and the connectivity can now be achieved.  We will now come out with a communiqué that will be policy guidelines and strategic directions that the two sectors will bring in order to maximize growth.”

He revealed that participants at the four-day events would be drawn from major key players and stakeholders in the transportation and tourism sectors from the international community in critical areas such as air transportation, i.e. airlines, tour and travel operators, administrators of the aviation industry; the maritime industry which includes sea transport, boats and sea cruising operators; road transportation, including major transport owners, car hire services, Uber, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), road traffic and safety agencies including the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Nigeria Police Force (NPF), National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Motor Insurance Cos; state transport ministries and agencies; rail transport services.

Others are operators of the tourism and hospitality industry including, tourism resort operators, national parks services; museums and monuments, state tourism ministries and boards, festivals and tourism events managers; hoteliers, restaurants and fast food operators; conferences and events managers; as well as service providers in the banking, oil and gas industries.

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Speaking further on what the ITTS had achieved, Odusanwo said the summit has succeeded in bringing a synergy of transport and tourism sectors.

“Members of the organising committee of the summit cut across the tourism and transport industries. So, there was a lot synergy and networking among the members.

Also the communiqué issued cuts across both sectors. This has enhanced the understanding of the connectivity among these sectors. This summit has helped in this direction,” he said.

The Tourism Transport Summit and Expo programme will begin with the Host City Walk on Saturday 27th April; the Tourism Transport Summit and Exhibition proper will hold from Monday 29th to Tuesday 30th April with B2B and G2B sessions. The Tuesday 30th April events will be rounded off with the Award and Gala Night; while the entire programme will end with the Host City Walk on May 1.

Experts and professionals drawn from the academia as well as key players and stakeholders in the industries will deliver thought-provoking papers on carefully selected sub-themes of the summit which include: Tourism in a Hyper Connection World: Making Technology Work for the Tourism and Transportations Sectors; Potentialities of Developing Regional Inter-Connectivity in Africa; Inter-Modal Connectivity, Traveller Safety and Security; Development of Critical Infrastructure and the Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria-The Case of Tourism and Transportation Industries, and Building Capacity for Global Best Practice in the Tourism and Transportation Sectors, among others.

The events as a whole offer a unique opportunity for policy makers, regulators, entrepreneurs, key players in both the tourism and transport sectors of the economy, investors, numerous esteemed customers and the general public estimated at 5,000 to engage in an All-Participatory discourse aimed at charting the desired synergy, collaboration and connective inter-play between the two sectors for maximum economic benefits of the country.