The Director-General, National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), Alhaji Nura Kangiwa, has stressed the importance of training as the bedrock of professional conduct to achieve adequate, efficient and proper service delivery.
Kangiwa who hosted the officials of the Nigerian Association of Tour Operators (NATOP) led by its President, Hajiya Bilqiz Abdul at the institute’s headquarters in Abuja said that in line with the NIHOTOUR’s mandate, he had been calling on all operators and practitioners in the Tourism value chain sector to take advantage of the training services offered by the Institute in order to upgrade their skills for effective and efficient service delivery in the sector.
He said NATOP’s plan to collaborate on training of its members couldn’t have come at a better time than now when the Institute had been repositioned for quality service delivery through proper and adequate training and re-training for all professionals.
He said it had been the long desire of NIHOTOUR as custodians and operators of the hospitality, travel and tourism sector skill council of the country to have all operators and practitioners in the industry comply with the mandatory provision of knowledge-based skill acquisition, noting that it might soon be impossible for quack and ‘all comers’ into the industry to practice without due certification.
In her remarks, President of NATOP, Hajiya Bilqiz Abdul said the courtesy visit was meant to seek support of the Institute in training members of the association and continuously update them with professional skills and competence to operate optimally as professional tour operators.
She said as President of NATOP, she was disturbed by the presence of unqualified practitioners in the sector, noting that it was not only killing the industry, but also bringing the good name of the profession into disrepute.
The NATOP President who narrated how unskilled operators in the industry had caused havoc, losses and dented the image of tour operations in recent times, requested the director-general to avail NATOP members the opportunity to acquire the necessary skills, which will set a standard for anyone to become a certified tour operator.
Hajiya Abdul, who came in company of the Association’s Secretary General, Mr Olaniran Owolabi Shaheed, appealed for a brief training session for members of the association at their next meeting holding in Abuja to further acquaint them with the basic skills for a tour operator in line with the international standards.
However, the Director-General of NIHOTOUR, Kangiwe without wasting time promised to make the members of NATOP first post of call for the institute’s renewed training mandate.
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