NATOP AGM opens new vista of opportunities for Akwa Ibom tourism

THE fifth edition of the National Association of Nigeria Tour Operators (NATOP)’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) has again broken the jinx of the COVID-19 new normal on how to restart tourism as the conference opened a seamless approach to creating partnership between private sector and state government on how to restart tourism.

The AGM which was held at the Ibom resort at the land of promise, Akwa Ibom State has made another ace in its innovative stance to not only restart tourism but also to sustain the tempo of being a leading body in exploring state tourism potentialities.

The AGM, which drew stakeholders and tourism experts from the within and outside Nigeria, brought new hope and aspirations on how to tackle the emerging business challenges necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic as the world move towards restarting tourism.

The land of promise, Akwa Ibom, in its cultural hospitality gave rendition of entertainment by some young instrumentalists who played different melodious tune from popular musicians’ album, using core cultural musical instruments to keep the audience spell bound during their spilt performances that lasted 10 minutes each.

These young entertainers, who have taken the pride of Akwa Ibom to several international stages, also projected the wear and look indigenous trade mark of the national attire of the Akwa Ibomites, a dress code that can be exported if well packaged.

The NATOP AGM has continued to give a seamless platform for youths’ inclusiveness in all their programmes, a deliberate effort by the leadership of the association to link the old and the new generation for a sustainable future.

Speaking at the event, the former Ghana Tourism Minister, Catherine Afeku said that the new template for tourism growth in Nigeria began at Uyo where they have the bridge of no return among other relics slavery antecedent just like the Ghana experience which was a template for the packaged of the year of return.

“The Uyo experience should be very similar to that of the Ghanaian one, in the sense that, all the dungeons had doors that had written on them the Door of No Return, basically telling our people who were being taken away at that time, that it was their last door to walk through unto boats on the seas to unknown lands.

“In the same vein you have the Bridge of No Return where your long-lost relatives crossed to go to the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

“Link the Bridge of No Return to the narrative as operators in the tourism sector, there is ample evidence that some of our relatives were taken away 400 years ago from here and they walked on this very bridge never to return,

“So now that you are inviting them back home, reconnect the history, create heritage tours around the theme of the “Return” and you will amaze yourselves the opportunities that abound.

“First do not treat the Diaspora as tourists, in the packaging of tour materials and information to tap into that source market. Invite them Back Home, and use the Bridge of No Return to have them symbolically walk on it to Return to the mother land.

She also said “Spend time and energy to educate and repackage your selling materials on the state you wish to market, use your own celebrities who are from Akwa Ibom to invite their friends in the Diaspora on a large scale to come home (we did that) In its simplistic format, it has worked magic for our tourism numbers.

“Lobby for friendly policies and tax incentives from government to support the tourism sector, encourage tour operators to be more professional, sell the country in a positive manner and showcase what is great and strong about Akwa Ibom State and all of Nigeria.

In his keynote address, the Akanimo Udofia, an international businessman thanked NATOP for inviting him to speak at the 5TH AGM said the theme is particularly close to his heart, according to him “Tourism is an area that I am deeply passionate about because it represents one of the world’s leading service sector that generates sustainable revenue, as well as also being a major wealth and job creator.

“Giving our rich cultural heritage and Akwa Ibom has great potential to leverage this rich and diverse culture with improved commitment and institutional attention, tourism could generate more than crude oil and gas for the country.

“This conference is important to all of us because it provides an opportunity for us to explore strategies and approaches that ensure we remain competitive and relevant on the stage of tourism.

“It is my strong belief that gathering like this is vital for increasing our cooperation and understanding of how we can combine knowledge and best practice to create more sustainable and successful tourism, which fosters a sense of renewed pride in our nature and in our beautiful state, Akwa Ibom.

In his presentation, the organiser of Akwaaba African Travel Market and a member of NATOP and FTAN board of Trustee, Ambassador Ikechi Uko stunned the audience with statistics and data capturing grey areas that determine travellers frequencies to destinations.

A look at the top 15 destinations Nigerians travelled to in 2019, reverted a total number of International outbound travellers from Nigeria to 559,430 Pax from all Nigerian airports carried by all airlines in the year.

In order of percentage priority Nigerians travelled to the the following countries; Dubai, UAE. London UK. 26, 700 people, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 27,000, Guangzhou, China, Medina, Saudi Arabia, Johannesburg, South Africa, New York, USA, Istanbul, Turkey, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Houston USA, Delhi India, Nairobi,Kenya, Beirut,Lebanon, Toronto,Canada and Abu Dhabi,UAE.

However the percentage distribution by region according to Ambassador Uko shows that traffic from Nigeria to Middle East is.43 per cent, Europe 27 per cent, Africa 10.2 per cent, Americas 10 per cent and Asia nine per cent.

He concluded that the major drivers of international outbound travel and tourism in Nigeria are Leisure/Shopping which is the highest with 60 per cent, followed by religion, visiting friends and relatives/religion while trade and business also add up to the travel attraction.

“So to restart to tourism, Nigeria has to key into the above as a blueprint for developing tourism by using the identified boosters. Uko added.”

The Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel has tasked NATOP to adopt new strategies that would make the country’s tourism industry attractive and economically beneficial.

Emmanuel, lauded the new level of commitment and passion displayed in recent times by the tour operators and other stakeholders in promoting tourism, saying if sustained, it can generate huge revenue for both practitioners and the government.

According to him, Akwa Ibom State is blessed with many cuisines and natural tourist sites, including the residence of Mary Slessor, the Blue River, the longest coastline in Nigeria, while the annual Christmas Carol and Christmas Village have become major events in the calendars of lovers of tourism.

He pledged the assistance and partnership of the state government to NATOP but urged them to adopt measures that would showcase their services and attract goodwill to the country.

The Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Tourism, Mr Orman Esin commended NATOP choice of Akwa Ibom, expressing hope that the conference would usher a new partnership between the state and tour operators.

Esin pointed out that the state had pioneered several aspects of tourism in Nigeria, being home to the earliest missionaries.

He said with the longest coastline in Nigeria, a fertile land rich in tourism, an international airport, and one of the best golf resorts in West Africa, the state was well positioned to take tourism to the next level in Nigeria.

National President of NATOP, Hajia Bilkisu Abdul paid tribute to NATOP’s former president, Mrs Fatima Garbati. But Abdul regretted the loss of revenue in the tourism sector occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our coming to Akwa Ibom State is not accidental. NATOP uses its AGM to promote domestic destinations and all our past destinations of choice have become viable locations for tourism.”

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mrs Ifeoma Anyanwutaku called on NATOP to work towards upscaling the promotion of tourism in Nigeria, urging them to increase international partnerships while adopting international best practices for networking.

The minister called for increased participation from the private sector while urging stakeholders to work towards packaging the country’s investment and tourism potential by repositioning the image of the country.

The minister assured of the readiness and commitment of the ministry in implementing necessary policies that would grow and strengthen the sector.

Chairman, NATOP Board of Trustees and Acting President of FTAN, Nkeruwem Onung, canvassed a separate ministry in order to exploit and develop the full tourism potential of the country.

Onung commended the state government for its continued interest in tourism and hoped that tourism in the state would receive a boost at the end of the conference.

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