Minister reels out benefits of hosting Global Tourism Conference

Nigeria’s Information and Culture Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed says the country will benefit a lot by hosting the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, UNWTO global conference.

The Minister stated this in Abuja during the inauguration of the planning committee for the 1st UNWTO global conference on Tourism, Culture and the Creative industry to be held in Nigeria.

Lai Mohammed revealed that the country’s exploit in the area of Tourism, Culture and the creative industry motivated the global agency to hand the country the hosting right during the 64th meeting of the UNWTO Commission for Africa in Cape Verde in 2021.

Nigeria’s film industry, popularly known as Nollywood, has become a globally-recognised brand and the third largest movie industry in the world after Hollywood and Bollywood.

On the other hand, the country’s music industry, just like its movie counterpart, has also taken the world by storm, while the fashion industry is so huge that it is bigger than the movie and the music industries combined.

Reasons for Hosting

Mohammed submitted that countries bid to host events such as this because of its socio-economic benefits; hence our hosting of this conference provides an opportunity to, among other, things: Showcase Nigeria’s tourism, culture and creative assets.

He said it would also Project Nigeria’s image as a safe and desirable destination for leisure and business; Consolidate on our relationship with the UNWTO and its member states.

The Minister said, “the global event has the tendency to highlight the restart of travel and tourism in a safe and seamless manner after the unprecedented impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which resulted in a near collapse of the sector. It will further serve as a platform for better Interaction and exchange of ideas and best practices with key industry players.”

 

 

He also said the conference would help to generate foreign exchange and create direct and indirect jobs and create opportunities for training of public and private sector tourism officials.

According to the Minister, Tourism and the Creative Industries are highly globalized. The sectors are industries in their own right and create added value globally, with spin-offs in the areas of trade, hospitality, agriculture, transport, construction, among others.

 “In 2019, prior to theCovid-19 pandemic, the tourism and the creative industries were fast-growing sectors with the value of over 1.47 trillion US dollars and 2.25 trillion dollars.

However, both sectors were greatly affected by the unprecedented pandemic. The global conference we are planning to host will be a catalyst for the recovery of the critical sectors.” the Minister explained.

Expected to attend the conference are Ministers and officials from Tourism, Culture and Arts Ministries of UNWTO member states, UNWTO top executives and officials, invited international organizations, National Tourism and Culture Organizations, Destination Management Organizations, Stakeholders from the public and private sector working on Tourism, Cultural and the Creative Industries, the media as well as representatives of the creative economy.

Preparation

The Minister said today’s inauguration of the Planning Committee kick starts the preparation for the global conference.

While charging the members to put in great effort to deliver, he summed it by saying, the success of the conference therefore rests on the effectiveness and commitment of the committee. He also pledged to carry relevant stakeholders along in the preparations.

The global conference will be held at the iconic National Theatre in Lagos from November 14 to 16, 2022 which is currently undergoing massive refurbishment for the first time since it was commissioned some 46 years ago.

“There is therefore no better opportunity for us to showcase the renewal of the iconic National Theatre, which was conceived as a grand hub for the arts, than during the hosting of this global event.” the Minister said.

The 24-man committee is chaired by the Minister of Information and Culture while the Permanent Secretary is the Deputy Chair.

Other members include; Representative of the Central Bank of Nigeria; Representative of Lagos State; Representative of Bankers’ Committee; Representative of Cappa & D’Alberto,  Executive Chairman, Nigerian Diaspora Commission, Honourable Abike Dabiri Erewa,  Nigeria’s Ambassador to Spain, Ambassador Demola Seriki ; Ace Comedian, Ali Baba, Representative of Nigeria Customs as well as that of Nigeria Immigration Service among others.

 

 

Confidence Okwuchi