‘African airlines will survive if 10% of Africans travel within’
Akwaaba Travel Market, the West Africa’s only international travel and tourism exhibition, kicked off in Lagos yesterday with the organiser of the annual event, Amb. Ikechi Uko calling on Africans to change the face of tourism in the continent by traveling within the continent. Speaking at the opening of the travel market, Uko projected that […]
Akwaaba Travel Market, the West Africa’s only international travel and tourism exhibition, kicked off in Lagos yesterday with the organiser of the annual event, Amb. Ikechi Uko calling on Africans to change the face of tourism in the continent by traveling within the continent.
Speaking at the opening of the travel market, Uko projected that if 10 per cent of Africans travel within Africa, no African airline would suffer low passengers’ turnout.
According to him, Americans are the engine room of American tourism.
He stated that Africa has more than enough people to create the tourism that the continent needed, saying this was what gave birth to Akwaaba which officially clocked 21 this year.
“Today we are 21 years old, we want to make Africans the biggest travellers in Africa.
Domestic tourism is thriving. Our hotels are declaring billions, that money comes from within.”
He reiterated that American tourism is developed by the Americans who regularly throng tourists’ sites in Florida, New York, California, Las Vegas among others.
“And where do Americans go? Americans are the engine room for American tourism. That is why their President will say, Go to hell. Why? It’s because there’s enough domestic tourism to drive that economy.
“So in Africa, we have enough people with the resources, with everything we need to be able to create the tourism that we need. That is what gave birth to Akwaba. So today, we are 21 years old,” he said.
Uko encouraged Africans to travel within the 54 African nations to drive tourism within Africa, saying with the efforts of Akwaaba and other tourism practitioners in Africa, Africa can achieve greatness through travel and tourism.
Director-General/CEO of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism, Dr. Abisoye Fagade stated that “African tourism renaissance depends on how we all organise ourselves, represent ourselves and present ourselves to the world.”
He stated that African tourism practitioners need a common voice to promote and deepen African tourism.
“If we refuse to organise ourselves, we might not be able to present ourselves to the world. We might be doing well individually and in working together we would be stronger. We have 12 months in a year, we can be having tourism events every year at different locations, different times in Nigeria. Let us leave this forum with one resolve – to make African tourism not only diverse and vibrant but also standardized, professional and trusted worldwide,” he said.
The opening event was attended by various stakeholders and representatives of tourism events in Nigeria even as the Ilorin Durbar committee was also represented with the presence of the Ciroma of Ilorin, Abubakar Bature Zulu Gambari and the Chairman of Ilorin Durbar Committee, Engr. Yahaya Alapansanpa.