NIHOTOUR needs cooperation of stakeholders to succeed, says Fagade

The Director General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), Aare Abisoye Fagade, has said that the institute needs the cooperation and input of stakeholders to achieve and fulfill its task of producing competent personnel in the travel and tourism industry.

Fagade stated this at the stakeholder engagement organized by the institute on Wednesday, July 15, in Abuja.

The theme of the forum was “Advancing registration, identification, accreditation, training and certification towards a standardized and professional hospitality, travel and tourism ecosystem under the renewed hope agenda.”

Fagade said the stakeholders engagement provides an opportunity to deepen that partnership and also exchange ideas, explaining that NIHOTOUR was opened to listen to stakeholders: “We are here to exchange ideas. We are here to identify practical solutions to existing challenges and agree on actions that will move the sector forward.

“As we continue implementing the NIHOTOUR Act, our focus remains clear: to build a tourism and hospitality workforce that is competent, certified, globally competitive and ready to support Nigeria’s economic diversification agenda under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

Fagade said no tourist destination in world succeeds without skilled manpower.

He said “One thing is clear: no tourism destination succeeds without skilled people. Infrastructure attracts visitors, but professionalism keeps them coming back. The true strength of any tourism economy lies in the competence, ethics, skills and service culture of its workforce.

“That is why the NIHOTOUR Act places significant responsibility on the Institute to regulate standards, strengthen capacity, promote professional certification, support research and ensure that Nigeria develops a workforce capable of competing confidently on the regional and global stage.”