Creative Industry

NIHOTOUR Gears Up For World Gastronomy Day, Hosts Cooking, Essay Competitions

Published

5 years ago

February 1, 2022

By Joel Ajayi

The National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) is gearing up for a successful hosting of the United Nations World Sustainable Gastronomy Day 2022, the second edition in the country scheduled for Saturday, 18th June 2022 at the Abuja International Conference Centre, Abuja.

In a press statement issued by Director, Media And Public Relations, Ahmed Mohammed Sule revealed that NIHOTOUR Director-General Nura Sani Kangiwa said the 2022 edition of the event which promises to be educative and entertaining, is loaded with a series of culinary activities to justify the objectives for the observance of the Day and seeks to promote the art of food preparation and consumption by different cultures in a sustainable manner.

According to the statement, the Sustainable Gastronomy Day event is expected to attract thousands of visitors and participation by various Catering Schools, Food Vendors, Popular Eateries and leading Hospitality and Beverage Brands, Secondary Schools offering Tourism subjects and exhibitions by NIHOTOUR Hospitality Department as well as a culinary display by Embassies and Diplomatic Missions in Nigeria.

“Gastronomy, which is a cultural expression of nations through their food choices, sources of ingredients and types of cuisines that thrives in culturally rich destinations like Nigeria as the most competitive Gastronomy tourist destination in Africa, is celebrated on the 18th of June every year following the December 21st, 2016 United Nations General Assembly, Resolution 71/246 which adopted and declared that the 18th June of every year is observed as a Sustainable Gastronomy Day.

“The Concept of Sustainable Gastronomy which seeks to promote cultural cuisines and sustainable diets, compels hospitality service providers and ‘food tourists’ to focus on the variety and benefits of native ingredients in local cuisines as well as enhance sustainable production, consumption and to highlight humanity’s variety of food systems, was first observed in 2017, making this year’s observance the sixth globally, and the second in Nigeria, with NIHOTOUR as the nation’s apex public Agency responsible for training, research and regulation of professional practice in the Travel-Tourism and Hospitality industry, championing the successful hosting of the event in 2021.

According to a report made available to the press, quite a number of activities are being lined up for the celebration of the 2022 edition which includes a cooking competition among Catering Schools in FCT, an Essay writing challenge for Secondary Schools offering Tourism as well as a spotlight on leading hospitality brands and tourism business operators in Nigeria.

The event also offers a remarkable opportunity for Embassies and Diplomatic Missions in Nigeria to exhibit the traditional cuisines of their respective countries by showcasing, sharing, educating, and informing the world of their rich diversity in food and beverages.

Activities of the observance day will be rounded up in the evening with a live musical performance by leading Nigerian artists during which prizes will be distributed to winners of the Cooking and Essay Writing Competitions.

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Creative Industry

FG Backs MyCityApp Launch of 100-Day Tourism Calendar to Drive $100bn Economic Growth

Published

2 weeks ago

September 15, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Federal Government has thrown its weight behind the launch of MyCityApp, a Nigerian city discovery and tourism platform designed to aggregate festivals, concerts, cultural events and lifestyle experiences into a single digital calendar.

The platform, which flags off the 100-Day Tourism Calendar, was unveiled on Monday at the Ember2Remember National Stakeholders’ Conference in Victoria Island, Lagos, with the initiative targeting Nigeria’s estimated $100 billion tourism and creative economy opportunity.

In a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by the Media and Publicity Adviser to the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Nneka Ikem Anibeze, the ministry said the conference was aimed at mobilising public and private stakeholders to transform the September-to-December festive period into jobs, investment and economic growth.

Speaking at the unveiling, the Minister, Hannatu Musa Musawa, said millions of visitors travel across Nigeria every year to celebrate, reconnect and experience the country’s diverse culture, stressing that the festive season could be deliberately organised and monetised to strengthen tourism’s contribution to the economy.

“This initiative is about moving beyond the traditional concept of a festive season. It is about deliberately organising, packaging, promoting, and monetising one of the most economically active periods in our national calendar,” Musawa said.

She noted that every visitor generates economic activity across several sectors, including aviation, transportation, hospitality, restaurants, entertainment, retail, technology, artisans and local communities.

The Minister commended MyCityApp Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Ifeoma Chukwu, for her vision and commitment to the initiative.

She urged state governments, event organisers, tourism operators, hospitality businesses and other stakeholders to list their festivals, concerts, exhibitions, food experiences, cultural celebrations, fashion and sporting events on the national calendar.

Musawa said the platform would enable Nigerians, members of the diaspora and international visitors to discover tourism and entertainment experiences across the country from a single, credible source.

Earlier, Chukwu said Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage and creative sector provided enormous opportunities for tourism-driven economic growth.

She cited the contributions of tourism to the economies of countries such as Spain, France and the United States, arguing that Nigeria could equally build a $100 billion tourism economy.

Also present were Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Toke Benson-Awoyinka; Enugu State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Ugochi Madueke; NCAC Director-General, Obi Asika; National Gallery of Art Director-General, Ahmed Sodangi; ARCON Director-General, Dr Olalekan Fadolapo; and MTN Nigeria CEO, Dr Karl Toriola.

MyLagosApp and MyCityApp will serve as the digital engines of the calendar, distributing events through a 360-degree media ecosystem to audiences in Nigeria and the diaspora.

Stakeholders were encouraged to upload their events on MyCityApp to participate in the national tourism calendar urging them to upload events on http://www.MyCityApp.io.

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