Geraldine Itoe is the CEO of Novarosta Travels. In this interview with WALE OLAPADE, she speaks on her recent incentive trip to Singapore and Malaysia and how it will help boost her tour packages as well as how Nigeria can move in time to building a sustainable tourism economy for stakeholders.
Recently you made a trip to Singapore, was it you first and how was it?
My first visit to Singapore was about 10 years ago. On this trip to Singapore, I also visited Malaysia, which was my first visit of the country and I accessed Malaysia via a cruise line from Singapore. Overall, it was an exceptional experience.
With your recent trip to Singapore and Malaysia what do you think about Nigerian tourism?
Nigerian tourism is certainly still at its infancy but also a work-in-progress that is possible with the right industry leadership at the helms of affairs for the industry.
Do you have any developmental and promotional models for the Nigerian government to turn tourism in the country around?
I am certain we have a lot of veterans in the industry who are very well positioned and connected with the right mix of experience, knowledge and professionalism to spearhead the developmental tourism model for Nigeria. And as an active and knowledgeable stakeholder myself, I will be more than glad to oblige my expertise when called upon by these veterans, some of whom are my mentors, in contributing my quota towards building a working Nigerian tourism model. Some of them have already started lifting heavy weights in some aspects of Nigerian tourism. An example will include Mr Ikechi Uko, who is currently changing the dynamics and narrative of the Nigerian aviation cargo sector.
What is your assessment of Nigeria’s tourism economy?
Tourism is vast and we need a well-rounded professional to spearhead its affairs in Nigeria. Every destination is a journey and starts with a step in the right direction spearheaded by professionals who are intentional about seeing a working sector that is sustainable and which delivers the desired signature experience peculiar to the given destination. I know we have very professional and committed stakeholders, old and young, in the Nigerian tourism industry willing and ready to put in the work when given the opportunity.
Some states are doing exceptionally well and inspiring others to sit up. Lagos State for instance, is one state that I know is intentional about its tourism efforts from the government level and is working closely with some stakeholders in the private sector to execute a working local economy in tourism.
Cross River used to be a pioneer of tourism spot in Nigeria and I am more than optimistic that the new government in the state has plans to revive the Cross River tourism sector, which will require a healthy collaboration with government and the private sector with the know-how at putting together a revived model for this unique and very diverse destination.
What do you think about the stakeholders in the Nigerian tourism industry compared to Singapore in the area of product offerings and collaboration?
Nigeria is a work-in-progress and we should be proud of our journey owing to the peculiarities of our clime. We are not doing badly; we can and will get there.
We certainly are not bereft of professionals in the industry. We have them in their numbers across the country. What they need is an opportunity and enabling environment to put their expertise to work. My assignment will simply be to continue doing what I am currently doing and have been doing for years through the services I provide using my tourism business as a vehicle and the personal investments I do in the sector towards promoting the appeals of the Nigerian destination and contributing towards sustainable tourism and an enhanced visitor experience.
Sustainable tourism referenced above is key to the success of the tourism economy and it requires the effort of all.
This trip was the second after 10 years, did you experience any culture shock?
On this particular trip, there was not so much of a culture shock for me considering that I have been to Singapore before, so I knew what to expect. However, I learned a few new things from my travel experience, which is the reason people should travel. Travel opens up your mind to knowledge you cannot get from the four walls of a classroom or from just sitting behind a computer screen. It needs to be experienced. Your experience becomes the knowledge you are able to transmit to others.
Are there bottlenecks to applying for a Singapore visa?
Getting a Singapore e-visa for tourists is easy when you are booking a travel package. A travel package would entail having us take care of accommodation, tours, airport transfers and sometimes your flights. This way, we are able to assure the authorities to an extent that the said passenger is travelling for tourist purposes with a confirmed itinerary which we provide from a booked package and not for other reasons.
Once this is in place, visa issuance, though at the discretion of the issuing officer as is in all cases with other countries, becomes easy.
In other words, applying for the visa is not a difficult process.
Because I am in the travel profession, to be able to sell a destination effectively, I need to have adequate knowledge of the destination and most of these are acquired from personal experience. You cannot give what you don’t have. Just like Singapore, I travel to different countries to gather knowledge, contents and experiences for destination marketing purposes. I also use the opportunity to update my supplier/vendor list and contacts; from hotels to logistics companies in the destination and so on.
This time, there was a need to update my Singapore knowledge and experience to aid the effective marketing of destination Singapore. It might be another destination in a few months.
When you say your visit to Malaysia via Singapore was an exceptional experience?
My visit to Malaysia via Singapore was an exceptional experience for a number of reasons. First, I did a couple of days in Singapore where I explored a number of new Singapore attractions and hotels. On my first night, I had an amazing tour of Singapore on a side-car motorcycle that was a source of pure joy as it gave me a mix of nostalgia, the best views of the city and an immersive nightlife vibe of the city where I explored the streets for local culinary dining, fashion outlets and so much more. The side-car night tour is a recommended must-do for anyone visiting Singapore.
On the other days, I explored a lot of hotels and other attractions for business purposes, including Sentosa Island (there is so much to do here). The average Singaporean understands the core of hospitality and this, in my opinion, has remained consistent, which is probably why they are excelling in tourism and hospitality. So because I travelled for business, some of the things learned are from the prism of how to give my customers a delightful experience while in Singapore.
These include new attractions, some of which I already highlighted before) and this enables me to sieve different attraction choices that will appeal to my Nigerian market and the ones that don’t.
I also explored new hotels where I learned of their amenities and their standards and practices to ensure great customer service delivery, which are important details for me in ascertaining which hotels will make a great partner and best look after my guests in my absence.
I was also particular about finding a local market where my Nigerian customers can shop affordable local items ranging from clothes to gift items and more aside from malls and this discovery was worth the search because people on trips with us can shop till they drop without necessarily breaking the bank.
My on-ground destination partners treated me to an amazingly delicious plate of Egusi soup and pounded yam in Singapore, which exceeded my expectations. This was definitely a new learning for me that my customers can delight in while in Singapore. I also learned a little about the Singapore people, their culture, festivities and lifestyle.
They are made up mostly of Chinese, Indians, Malay and many other ethnicities. Their rich diversity is what makes Singapore, Singapore – a congregation of different cultures and people living with an outstanding quality of life, high standard of living, modern amenities and a well developed health care system.
Singaporeans are big on meritocracy and efficiency where individuals are evaluated and rewarded based on their performance and capabilities and this cuts across all aspects of their work culture including governance. So concisely, these are some of what I learned during my trip.
How will you describe the hospitality of a Singaporean then and now viz-a-viz Malaysia?
Ten years after, some of my significant observations were additional tourist attractions as expected: an amazing skyline showcasing world-class architectural prowess, a great deal of consistency and upgrade.
Singapore has been known to be intentional and firm with its standards and processes, which translates to the quality delivery enjoyed by the travelling consumer. This Asian destination spares nothing on standards, quality and finesse in competing as an excellent destination option alongside popular Western options.
Every hotel I visited during my hotel tours had gone through a renovation because it is mandatory by law to undergo a compulsory face lift after every five years.
It is a very small country with a very low and almost non-existent crime rate, so you are certain that safety will not be an issue of concern for visiting tourists.
The transportation network is also very fantastic and ultra-modern. So, while my transfers around the city were pre-arranged prior to my arrival, which is part of the convenience enjoyed by tourists who book a package with us, there are many clean, fast, efficient and comfortable means of getting around from trains to boats and buses, taxis, car hire services, Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system. All are great and safe ways to get around conveniently and efficiently.
One of the incentives known to me will be the ones geared towards visitor experiences at the Singapore Changi Airport, which is the world’s best airport for the 12th time because of its intentionality towards an exceptional visitor experience upon landing. The Airport has the best leisure amenities in the world and the best dining experience.
From its free movie theatres, rooftop swimming pool, to its latest technology for contact-less check in services, combined with its magnificent waterfall terminal where guests get to enjoy the free HSBC Rain Vortex Jewel’s centrepiece attraction dubbed as the world’s tallest indoor waterfall, among others too numerous to mention, many travellers would rather take a connecting flight through Changi Airport than a non-stop one only to get a slice of the Changi Airport experience.
I am also aware of a Changi Airport shopper’s reward scheme targeted at travellers exiting or transiting through the airport as well as tourist who visit to enjoy the airport attractions. This promotional campaign by Changi Airport and its partners is a yearlong gateway to reward shoppers and diners who qualify by just spending as little as $50 in a single transaction at the airport or online at Changi’s e-commerce portal iShopChangi.
I am aware that Changi Airport partners with several brands from porsche to the very many participating retail outlets in its airport to enable visitors and travelers who shop and dine to get rewarded with lottery tickets that give them a chance to win $1 million grand prize or a Porsche Macan car at a particular time of the year.
This scheme actually inspired an anniversary event I organised some years ago in commemoration of our anniversary milestones at the time; talk about travelling as a gateway to learning.
In the case of the Changi Airport Millionaire Shopping Reward, it is a promotion geared towards encouraging travellers to shop at different retail outlets at the airport, increase consumer spend and raise awareness and enthusiasm about shopping deals at the airport retail outlets.
To the best of my understanding, the airport uses this promotional event as a visitor incentive to attract footfall into its airport terminals while also seizing the opportunity to tell the world that it is more than just an airport but also a shopping paradise with amazing shopping deals across its over 400 retail outlets in its terminals.
I believe the government has visitor incentives for both business and leisure travellers coming into the country but as of this moment, these are the ones I am aware of that are still running till date with pockets of upgrade here and there.
In summary of your submission, one could say travelling is an experience-driven masterclass without certificate?
Absolutely right! Travel is a classroom without walls. Travel has taught me things about God and creation that no pastor can teach you during a Sunday service. Travel has taught me lessons about life that you can only learn by yourself from travel.
Every aspect of travel teaches me. The brain waves I get, the quality of my thoughts, imagination and crystallisation of same that comes to me when I am flying several thousand feet above sea level, looking out the window into a borderless sea of clouds, is very different from the vibration I get when I am on land and certainly different from when I am on an underwater adventure basking in the aquatic splendour of underwater life.
I would not have known I vibrate differently on air, land and water if I didn’t open myself up to experience all forms through travel and pay attention enough to notice.
The world is the true classroom and to not experience the world through travel is a great injustice and a big short-change to anyone’s existence. You will appreciate life better, God, the blessing of the world’s diversity and its people when you open up your mind through travel. And when you travel, pay attention to your inner mind. Give it room to learn and grow from your experiences. What better way is there to learn? Travel!
and then