Admin l Thursday, November 04, 2021
ABUJA, Nigeria – The fourth edition of the National Tourism Transportation Summit and Expo has been scheduled to hold on 15th and 16th of November, 2021 at the International Conference Centre, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The National Transportation Tourism Summit and Expo is instituted and convened by the Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria (ITPN) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Tourism, the Federal Ministry of Transportation and the Federal Ministry of Aviation as an annual event that focuses attention on the inter-play and connectivity between tourism and transportation.
It is also meant to x-ray how the various stakeholders and key players in the two industries (tourism and transportation) at both public and private sector levels have fared in exploring the enormous opportunities and benefits inherent in synergizing them.
According to a statement signed by Chief Abiodun Odusanwo, National President ITPN/Chairman Local Organising Committee, LOC, the theme for this year’s fourth edition of the Summit and Expo is: TOURISM TRANSPORTATION CONNECTIVITY: Leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Regime for Economic Sustainability.
This is derived from the AfCFTA trade agreement which is a common market to grow trade in ‘made-in-Africa’ goods and services by reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade among African countries.
The statement said: “AfCFTA is a common market for 54 African countries of a population of 1.2 billion people which has a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of more than US $3.4 trillion. It is a huge market opportunity that cannot be ignored or wished away.
“The Summit and Expo offer a platform for public and private sector stakeholders, producers and consumers in Nigeria and the African Continent to come together, share ideas, experiences, exchange knowledge and showcase their skills in the growth, development and promotion of the nation’s economic endowments by promoting the ideals of the AfCFTA Agreements and leveraging on it.
“Nigeria’s participation in this year’s event is essentially to get more enlightened and informed on the nitty-gritty of the AfCFTA agreements so that the country can fully explore the opportunities and benefits of the trade agreements. Participation by all sectorial key players and critical stakeholders in the Tourism and Transportation sectors of the country will open a new page in Africa’s cross boundary trade for the good of the country in particular and the continent as a whole.
“This is because AfCFTA is driven by the need for Nigeria to grow and diversify her export income beyond crude oil export revenue, which is cyclical in nature, has been declining in per capita terms due to fast growing population and is projected to decline significantly over the long-term due to the global shift away from fossil fuels.
“Tourism offers a preferred sector for Nigeria’s economic diversification with transportation being the most reliable means for this to happen.”
