NIHOTOUR gastronomy festival highlights tourism, hospitality -DG
The Director-General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), Alhaji Nura Kangiwa, stated that the annual gastronomy festival has created new opportunities for the development of skills in tourism and hospitality personnel.
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Gastronomy is the art or practice of selecting, preparing, and enjoying fine food.
Kangiwa revealed this during an interview with the press on Tuesday in Abuja.
He noted that more operators in Nigeria are enhancing their skills in the art, craft, and science of gastronomy, thereby improving the experiences of domestic and inbound tourists in the country
He stated that the NIHOTOUR Gastronomy Festival has made tourism operators and administrators in both the public and private sectors in Nigeria aware of the comparative advantages of food tourism in the country.
”The festival has been added to Nigeria’s ‘Tourism Calendar’, Nigerian tourism destination managers are coming with marketing communications, that positioned Nigeria as a leading food tourism destination in Africa.
“NIHOTOUR Gastronomy Festival is today one of the leading tourist products in Nigeria. As such, non-Abuja residents and tourists make travel arrangements in advance to attend the food festival in Abuja,” he said.
Kangiwa mentioned that Nigerians have requested annual improvements to the food festival, particularly in terms of showcasing a greater diversity of cuisines from every state in the country.
He stated that, in their view, increasing the number of participating countries would also enhance the food festival each year.
“Previously, European and African countries actively showcased their national foods and beverages, as well as Nigerian chefs who also put up good appearances.
” In this year`s festival, there will be more arrays of foods and beverages exhibitors than the previous editions.
“We will also be introducing a lot of innovation including live cooking competition at the food exhibition among culinary schools in Nigeria, where winners will be rewarded with foreign training among other things.
“Visitors experience in this year’s Gastronomy Festival will be unparalleled in Nigeria’s tourism,” he said.
NAN/Oluchi Okwuego
