(Posted 01st March 2024)
L-R: Amb. Ikechi Uko, organiser Wonders of Nigeria Expo; Mrs. Lola Ade-John, Minister of Tourism; Alhaji Nura Kangiwa, Director General NIHOTOUR.
The 10th Edition of the longest running domestic tourism expo in Nigeria has received the endorsement of the Ministry Of Tourism. The Wonders of Nigeria Expo that promotes travel within Nigeria will be held in Lagos for the first time since 2011 when it started as Abuja Bantaba. Since 2021, it has been held in partnership with NIHOTOUR after it was rebranded as Abuja Jabamah.
The 2024 edition will be held in Lagos with the usual partnership with NIHOTOUR for the Training and the Food Expo. In a tripartite meeting hosted by the Minister of Tourism Mrs. Lola Ade-John in her office, it was agreed that the Wonders of Nigeria Expo be used to draw attention to the beauty of Nigeria. Ambassador Ikechi Uko had briefed the Minister on the need to develop powerful imageries for Nigeria. In his words, “a lot of Nigerians want to see only the problems of Nigeria and this characterizes the narratives about Nigeria but we can push out pictures and narratives that show the beauty of Nigeria. God has gifted us with a beautiful country but it is unappreciated because we concentrate only on our political and economic problems. We can reinvent Nigeria by promoting the beauty of Nigeria. The journey of discovery is not in seeing new places but in seeing old places with new eyes. Nigeria is beautiful.”
He outlined the project plan of sourcing over 1000 pictures of destinations and locations in Nigeria from states and photographers and giving all Tour Operators rights to use these pictures to promote the country. The Honorable Minister was impressed with the idea and promised to write the state governments to contribute very high quality pictures for the exhibition. She said that her job is to grow revenue and jobs for the nation through Tourism. “The Ministry of Tourism will market every product in Nigeria be it cultural product or Ecotourism.The ministry does not need to own the products. They can be created by the National Parks or from culture but it is my job to sell those products and these pictures will go a long way in repositioning the Image of the country,” said the Minister.
Alhaji Nura Kangiwa the Director General of NIHOTOUR told the Minister that the agency has been collaborating with Naija7Wonders for training of travel and tourism practitioners in Nigeria through the Nigeria Tourism Specialist Course (NTSC), which equips practicing operators with knowledge about the country and its tourism, cultural and historical environment. NIHOTOUR contributes teachers for some of the topics for the programme. Also Naijafoods by NIHOTOUR which is a food tour round the 6 Geopolitical Zones of Nigeria will be hosted on Day 2 of the Expo. According to Alhaji Kangiwa, “Naijafood by NIHOTOUR is one of our gastronomy product and is very popular with the industry.”
Travellers Award is the oldest Travel Awards in Nigeria since 1996. It is a recognition of the best performers in travel and tourism in Nigeria. The Wonders of Nigeria Expo is a 2 day event slated for the 18th and 19th of April. It is not open to the public as only registered travel professionals are invited. The 18th is the training for NTSC while the 19th will start with the induction of the Tourism 100 Club members and Travellers Awards. Naija Food by NIHOTOUR will start at 2pm.
Tourism 100 Club is an exclusive group of the biggest players in travel and tourism in Nigeria. It is an elite club of the best tourism personalities in Nigeria. Abuja Jabamah which is the Wonders of Nigeria Expo will hold in Lagos at the National Musuem complex as a way of drawing attention to the museums and monuments in Nigeria for tourism. Wonders of Nigeria Expo is a production of Seven Wonders of Nigeria and Akwaaba African Travel Market.
