President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed the readiness of Nigeria to host the first-ever Global Conference on Tourism, Culture, and the Creative Industry in November 2022 in a conducive environment.
Buhari said this on Wednesday while speaking during a visit to the headquarters of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in Madrid, Spain
The President described the granting of the hosting rights as “further proof of Nigeria’s support for the vision of the organization and also an affirmation of the confidence reposed in our country by your organization.”
He noted that the event would provide another opportunity for the country to showcase its tourism and creative industry to the whole world.
“It will also serve as an opportunity to extend our warm hospitality to the world and introduce the country’s leisure and business sectors to potential investors. We have not-so-well-known wonders to reveal,” Buhari was quoted as saying in a statement issued and made available to The Star on Wednesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina.
President Buhari further assured participants from across the world of “a safe and secure environment as well as excellent facilities,” adding: “We look forward to welcoming all participants.”
The President affirmed that the country had been consistent in supporting the organization since joining in 1975, noting that Nigeria had also been elected Chairman of the Commission for Africa between 2005 and 2007.
The President, however, thanked the UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili, for granting 100 UNWTO Online Academy Scholarships on the ‘Introduction to Tourism-Industry Management’, stressing that the move would further boost youth empowerment and education as well as address the manpower shortage in the tourism sector.
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On his part, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, whose ministry is facilitating the conference, said Nigeria was given the hosting rights at the 64th meeting of the UNWTO in Cape Verde in 2021, adding: “Our plan is to host the event in the iconic National Theatre in Lagos which is currently being massively refurbished for the first time since its commissioning some 46 years ago.”
Mohammed added that since the announcement of the rights, preparations had started in conjunction with the UNWTO to ensure that Nigeria hosts a world-class event to justify the confidence reposed in the country by the organization.
The minister further stressed that Nigeria intended to “leverage on the conference to showcase what makes Nigeria tick in culture, tourism, music, film, gastronomy, fashion, photography and why Nigeria has become a global leader in music and film, especially.”
In his remarks, the UNWTO Secretary-General said the visit of President Buhari was a direct confirmation of how important tourism is to Nigeria, describing the country as “a big country with huge resources in culture, nature, and diversity”.
“We have a long-term commitment with Nigeria to develop tourism and attract more and more tourists to Nigeria. The numbers are very small at the moment and I think it’s a shame. Nigeria has to receive much more tourists to see the beauty and meet the people,” Pololikashvili added.
He, therefore, assured Buhari of his support in promoting the diverse culture of Nigerians and Africans to the world.
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