Creative Industry
NIHOTOUR Calls For Responsible Hospitality, Tourism Practice to mitigate global climate change
Joel Ajayi
Stakeholders at the 2022 Annual Master Lecture Series of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), have been called upon to proffer solutions, modalities and strategies for the mitigation against the unhealthy rise of climatic conditions threatening humanity globally.
The lecture series titled: “Driving Global Climate Action Through Responsible Tourism/Hospitality Business in Nigeria” have different stakeholders in attendant.
In his welcome address at the occasion, Nura Sani Kangiwa, Director General of the Institute, represented by Dr. Taiwo Famogbiyele – Director of Research and Development, stated that the Hospitality and Tourism industry is also contributing to the worsening climatic condition through its operations that do not adhere to guidelines of mitigation procedures against environmental destabilization and pollution.
Kangiwa who noted that the climate changes being experienced at tourism destinations in the country in the form of extreme weather temperature, variable levels of rainfall, rise in sea levels and flooding, drought and desertification and land degradation are the effects of practices that negate the principles of sustainable tourism activities, also called for the discontinuation of the trend forthwith.
In her address at the occasion, the Special Guest of Honour and Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism, Distinguished Senator Nora Ladi Daduut called on operators in the hospitality and tourism sector to check some of their environmental unfriendly activities to curb the menace of climatic change bedeviling Nigeria and the global community at large.
Declaring the event opened through her representative Mr Isaac Aliyu, Senator Daduut appealed to the participants to come up with workable documents for the Nigerian tourism and hospitality industry to operate its activities responsibly without undue interference to the eco system as well as safe guard the environment for the future generations.
Also delivering a keynote address at the event, Dr. Ifeoma Adaora Anyanwutaku, Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Information and Culture represented by Mrs. Patricia Narai, Director of Domestic and Eco-Tourism Promotion and Control, stated efforts by the federal government to cut carbon emission to the barest minimum through responsible tourism and hospitality operations as part of the country’s contribution to global efforts at mitigating climatic change.
Dr. Anyanwutaku noted that Nigeria is highly committed to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Goal No 13 that seeks countries to take urgent actions to combat climate change globally and in particular, through enforcing responsible operations of tourism and hospitality practices that are not only environmentally friendly but as well sustainable.
In all, a total presentation of 23 papers were made by Lecturers and Instructors from the nine Campuses of the Institute spread across the six geo-political zones of the country, including Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory with varying sub themes bordering on the main theme of the 2022 Master Lecture Series; Driving Global Climate Action Through Responsible Tourism/Hospitality Business in Nigeria
Creative Industry
FG Backs MyCityApp Launch of 100-Day Tourism Calendar to Drive $100bn Economic Growth
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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