Culture and Tourism

World Tourism Day: NIHOTOUR Tasks Stakeholders On Professionalism, Industry Growth

Published

4 years ago

September 27, 2020

Joel Ajayi

Director-General, National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), Alhaji Nura Kangiwa, has urged stakeholders in the tourism industry to always upgrade their professional knowledge for effective service delivery.

Kangiwa made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos as the world celebrates the 2020 edition of the World Tourism Day.

He said that Nigeria’s tourism industry would fare better if stakeholders worked hard to upgrade their knowledge about the industry in line with global best practices.

According to him, stagnated knowledge about extant developments and trending issues in the sector has affected tourism industry growth in the country.

“We must continue to acquire professional knowledge that will equip us to deliver efficient services and promote the growth of the industry,” he said.

“By upgrading our skills and knowledge, we will be equipped to use the latest techniques being employed by our counterparts across the globe to brace-up with global standards,” he said.

He said that NIHOTOUR was willing to promote service delivery and industry growth through the provision of opportunities for constant training and re-training of practitioners.

“I urge tour operators, travel agents, tour guides, hoteliers and other practitioners in the tourism value chain to constantly upgrade their knowledge for greater efficiency.

“This is very important to tourism growth. Standardisation and professionalism should not be jettisoned if we must move the industry forward,” he said.

Kangiwa told NAN that the theme for the 2020 edition of the tourism day celebration: ` Tourism and Rural Development’ was a call on stakeholders to positively affect rural communities.

“The theme reminds us of our roles in rural community development, a huge amount of natural tourism assets are found in the rural communities.

“It is our duty to promote local tourism potentials such as festivals, cultures, arts and natural sites for global recognition and acceptance,” he said.

The NIHOTOUR director-general identified poor record keeping and tourism receipt statistics as major challenges facing the industry.

“As an institute, we will work with the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics to ensure accurate and factual figures of tourist’s receipts, this will change the people’s perception about tourism as mere leisure instead of a viable business.

“We are talking about a very vibrant market, one that can contribute significantly to the economy, one of the major problems is the lack of tourism statistics,” he said.

The world tourism day is annually celebrated on Sept. 27 to raise global awareness on the role of tourism, and to demonstrate its effect on social, cultural, political and economic values.

NAN

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Creative Industry

Stephanie Linus, Juliet Ibrahim 8 others Appointed Jury Members For Zuma International Film Festival

Published

3 months ago

November 13, 2024

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

Ten-member 10 jury of reputable Nigerian and foreign filmmakers to adjudicate on all entries in the competitive category of the Zuma international film festival, 2024, scheduled to hold in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital from December 1st to 5th, which is jointly being organized by the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has been announced.

Announcing the constitution of the ten-member jury through a statement issued in Abuja (on Monday, November, 11, 2024); Brian Etuk, NFC’s Director of Public Affairs, said “the jury is most critical to the selection of winning entries and composition of the jury reflects the premium and niche of ZUMA International Film Festival, as one of the continents fastest growing international film festivals and market events”.

He said, this explains why membership of the jury includes both Nigerian and foreign film stakeholders who have in the recent past promoted authentic Nigerian and African resonate stories, and continue to contribute immensely to the growth of inclusive global film production.

Stephanie Okereke Linus, an A-list Nigerian actress, filmmaker, activist with lead appearances in over 100 movies, including an Afro-Hollywood, USA Filmmakers Award for Excellence, Reel Awards for Best Actress, and recently, the AMVCA Award for Best Overall Movie in Africa as well as recipient of the AMAA Award for Best Nigerian Film for her impactful work DRY was named as the Chairperson of the Jury.

Other members are Kenneth Gyang- director of This Is Lagos, Mojisola as well as Oloture Netflix’s Original from Nigeria; Aisha Halilu Abdullahi – a docu-drama and documentary specialist; Ishaq Sidi Ishaq – an actor, writer and producer of “Kamilu”,‘‘Wasila’’; Charles Novia – an avant-garde Nollywood ﬁlmmaker, scriptwriter, producer, director and creative entrepreneur; Hakeem Kae Kazim – a supremely talented actor, producer, director of great cinematic portrayal of George Rutugunda in the Oscar-nominated Hotel Rwanda, as well as playing leading roles in The Librarian.

The Triangle, and knack for creating feisty and deeply thrilling characters; Sihle Hlophe – director with multiple awards and over 15 years of experience; Ronya Man – an acting coach and creative arts specialist with handles on Lahira, SIN.

The Johnsons, as well as Juliet Ibrahim – a bilingual (French and English) speaking multiple award-wining producer, director, entrepreneur with over 100 movie appearances. Zaiyanu Tanko Waziri, a veteran filmmaker and broadcaster with over two decades of professional experience was also named as member of the jury.

In the statement, Dr. Ali Nuhu, NFC’s Managing Director & Chairman, Festival Organising Committee, on behalf of its partner, the FCTA, congratulated Stephanie Okereke – Linus for emerging as Chairperson of the Jury. Dr. Nuhu said that the Jury Chairperson and her team’s roles are critical to the overall success of the Film Festival brand, which no effort has been spared in its organization in terms of content, attendance and participation. NFC; Nuhu averred, remains committed to achieving the objectives of sustaining the positive narratives that Nigeria with a huge creative economy, is indeed the hub of film production in Africa.

Zuma International Film Festival 2024, the 14th in the series and themed: Digital Renaissance: Embracing The Future takes place December 1st – 5th at Chida Event Centre, Abuja Nigeria. Meanwhile, Etuk added that the online registration portal of the film festival has opened, and intending participants can register through the link :- https://zumafilmfest.com/zuff-2024-registration.

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