Andrew Iro Okungbowa 
Ahead of this year’s National Tourism Transportation Summit and Expo (NTTS/E) 2024, the organisers have unveiled some of the expected special guests and speakers at the event, with the Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, and the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo (SAN), headlining the event.
The summit is billed to hold between Tuesday, December 3 and Thursday 5, 2024, at the Velodrome, Package ‘A’, of the M.K.O. Abiola National Stadium in Abuja. The two ministers will be joined by three other ministers, whose functions are aligned to the two key sectors.
Anchored annually by the Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria (ITPN) in conjunction with industry players in the private and public sectors, this year’s theme is: Tourism Transportation Connectivity: Accelerating The Synergy for National Economic Development.
Speaking on this development, the National President of ITPN, who also doubles as Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Organising Committee of the Summit, Chief Abiodun Odusanwo, disclosed that the NTT Summit and Expo serves as a stop-gap mechanism approved by the 15th National Council on Transportation, which recommended that the event be held in view of the interconnectivity that exists between transportation and tourism.
According to Odusanwo, that singular act underscores the connectivity brought by transportation, which is at the heart of the tourism-transport value chain, adding that the event traditionally seeks to explore and further strengthen the links between both sectors and maximise their impacts on employment, inclusive growth and sustainable development of the economy.
“Since this approval, the National Tourism Transportation Summit and Expo became a combined industry event during which the Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria, partnered and collaborated with the Federal Ministries of Tourism, Aviation, Transportation and related stakeholders, leading to the successful hosting of six editions; between 2018 and 2023, with the plan for the seventh edition this year, at the concluding stage.
“In hosting the 7th edition of the Tourism Transportation Summit and Expo this year, organisers took cognizance of the vital documents that the past six editions have produced in the form of communiques and seeks to bring into effect their implementation as roadmaps to give the industry players the leeway to play their respective roles in the most appropriate ways that guarantee the best economic benefits for the country. Hence the theme: Tourism Transportation Connectivity: Accelerating The Synergy for National Economic Development.”
According to him, this year’s Summit is to reaffirm the need for synergy and collaboration in areas of operations of the tourism transportation sector for national economic growth and development, as he reeled out some of the presentations expected as sub-themes of the Summit during plenary sessions.
The committee chairman added that event speakers for this year’s edition are drawn from key players of the public sector, represented by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and the Organised Private Sector (OPS), as drivers of the industry.
These include; the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), leading discussions on the sub-theme; “Encourage Massive Investment in Water Front Properties, Resource and Etiquette Training; Nigeria Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), to head discussions on: Connect and Explore: Trusted Travel Hub for Seamless Journeys.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) will lead presentations on; The Relevance of Directional Signs in Tourism Transportation; and the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) will lead presentations on ‘Artistic Collaboration and Partnership in Tourism Transportation.
The National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) will lead the panel of discussants on; Personnel Training for Enhanced Performance and Service delivery in Tourism, Transportation, and Allied Industries while the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet) is leading discussions on; Impact of Climate/Weather Forecasting on Tourism in the Sectoral Planning of Nigeria.
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) will chair discussions on; Nigeria’s Non-Oil Export Procedures: Sharing Expertise on Export Documentation, Logistics and Freight Management in the Tourism Transportation Sector.
Odusanwo stressed that NTT Summit and Expo has since inception in 2018, offered the platform for public and private sector stakeholders, producers and consumers in Nigeria and Africa to come together, share ideas, experiences, exchange knowledge and showcase their skills in the growth, development and promotion of the nation’s economic endowments, this time, by promoting the ideals of the value chain inherent in the tourism transportation sector.
This year’s edition is expected to feature a Host City Walk of Abuja, scheduled to hold on December 2, 2024 followed by a two-day B2B and G2B sessions while the event will conclude with a membership and fellowship induction ceremony, and a gala night for presentation of awards to deserving stakeholders in the industry.
