As part of its increased effort to provide a lasting solution to challenges facing the tourism sector, stakeholders have chided the government’s for its inability to encourage ‘Brand Nigeria’ at the just concluded Jumia Tourism Summit, titled “Expectation vs Reality: Redefining the Roles of Industry Stakeholders in shaping the 21st Century Traveller’s Experience.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Social Prefect Tours, Mrs. Chiamaka Obuekwe stated that Nigerian tourist centers have suffered over the years and coupled with the apparent disinterest by government in supporting tourism, entrepreneurs effort in promoting the country on relevant international platforms and the media appear wasted.
She took on, “No electricity, and bad roads which are like death traps to tour loving Nigerians and foreign tourists, observing that Canada, UK, Dubai are popular for travellers outside Nigeria. In Nigeria now, people gearing towards resorts like Inagbe Resort, Ikogosi Resort. People want to relax and experience nature at places like Olumo Rock, Erin-Ijesha Waterfall in Osun and such destinations also have festivals. Hotel choice is another consideration.
Obuekwu explained that there was need to be realistic in marketing and sincere in telling clients what to expect as to enable them know what they are getting, adding that it was the best approach towards managing customers’ expectations.
“Only a few people are interested in the North of the country. However, a lot of people are interested in visiting Zanzibar, and South Africa. Etc. We haven’t promoted Nigeria very much. There is the need to promote Nigeria, and need for the government to really support those of us in travels to achieve that.
On the flip side, Sales Manager, Kenya Airways Nigeria, Mr Biola Bakare Abiola maintained that “London is priority for visitors who want to see family; then Canada. For business travels people go to Asia. Students prefer Uganda, now Dubai and London. Economic reality because of the Forex crisis is making people look towards Africa. Within the travel industry, lack of Forex is a very big issue in Nigeria.”
Bakare then said that Kenyan Airways encourages youth tourism by offering younger people discounts to motivate them to travel.
Speaking further, he said “Nigerian hospitality brands lack customer service. 21st century travellers are more demanding and very much aware of their rights. In Kenya Airways, we keep improving and trying to meet up with our ever-demanding customers.”
On his own part; Founder of Afro Tourism, Sam Adeleke observed that “the new trends in travel include adventure travel. And either solo or in group, this type of travel is also looking promising as people want to explore new places and try to share on social media with their friends about their adventure to new places. Places like Nasarawa, Kaduna etc. Back packer adventures is also getting interesting and many people are considering those too.”
Adeleke maintained that Nigerians want excellent services and effective communication which technology could help in achieving. Having said that, he added that “People want to be inspired through travelogues of travel experiences”.
Travel is more than travelling from one location to another. “Travelling is a total experience, as it involves a lot of things plus the inflight experience also. In this modern era. Airlines are competing to give customers value for their money. They have a lot of reward programs to encourage loyalty.”
He therefore added that airlines even allow people the opportunity to decide who to seat next to based on a previous experiences.
“Kenny Ogungbe, Senator Ben Murray Bruce and others started promoting Nigerian music in the 90s. Today, Nigerian music has taken over the African music landscape. I started the first travel magazine in West Africa, and got to be invited to travel throughout the world. We were about 15 who set out in the travel industry at my own time but today only I and Mr. Ogbeni Awe remain in Nigeria. We, along with some operators decided where Nigerians went to. Others left Nigeria and settled in other parts of the world. But the younger ones are now stimulating Nigerians to travel to new places here. I want everyone to take this home from here that, “We in travel business decide where Nigerians go to”. For a long time we decided where Nigerians go to. Daily, about 30 airlines leave Nigeria for Dubai. Nigerians went to where we decided”.
Nonetheless, initiator of Akwaaba African Travel Market and Publisher of ATQNews Mr. Ikechi Uko, who spoke on the importance of hotel grading in Nigeria, took a journey down memory lane and chronicled some of the efforts that had been put forward to ensure that Nigeria had a standard grading system for hotels in the country. He observed that the Supreme Court paralyzed all efforts towards that with its 2012 judgment and a change of government in Lagos State and leadership at the ministry of tourism further compounded the situation and the State could not raise a standard of its own to grade hotels.
Ikechi Uko, revealed that “there has been a positive shift from the old school of approaching travel to new methods and that technological advantages and people to look up to now to draw inspiration abound.
“But the world has moved on from grading to hotel differentiation”, Uko said. “Our culture doesn’t help us in hospitality. And we can’t compare with Kenya because they have been in the business of tourism much longer and they also have the best tourism school, Utalli College. Nigeria’s effort in setting up NIHOTOUR has not yielded the needed dividends in that regard, as apart from one or two instances, no Nigerian is a general manager of an international hotel brand in Nigeria. Nigeria as it is now, it is still a laboratory.”
Also speaking on the new trends, Managing Director, Jumia Travels, Kushal Dutta explained that, “We are directly in front of what our clients are looking for ; There is a difference between travel and tourism. Traffic in Lagos is towards the island, and that is the area that controls the economics of Lagos. Travelling outside Lagos is not as easy as it used to be. So Lagos now is the destination to explore.”
And there are places to go like Badagry, Lekki Conservation Centre, cruise through the waterways. Others places outside Lagos include Obudu Mountain Resort, Tinapa Lake, Ikogosi etc. Outside Nigeria, there is Kenya in East Africa, Mauritius, South Africa, North Africa. For the domestic market, Nigerians do not like travelling within the country, Dubai is priority, UK, Europe etc. Nigerians do not like travelling Asia as much”.
According to Kushal “Nigerians want impeccable service delivery. The youths are changing through technology. Technology will continue to change travel.”
Commenting on the kind of hotel accommodation travellers expect, Jumia boss pointed out that for business travellers, they would prefer an accommodation with breakfast, Wi-Fi, pool, gym, quiet environment for business, 5-10 km to the airport. Youths want experience. They don’t care about all those luxury. They just want a good place for good night sleep. They are adventurous,; they want to engage with the locals. They are interested in experiences.
Mr. Segun Igbalode, Associate Director for Mediacraft Associates, speaking on the behalf of Mastercard on the other hand, promised that Mastercard was ready to support travels to destinations within Nigeria and across West Africa. Meanwhile, the event which held at the Morning Sides Suites on Victoria Island was moderated by Founder, Olorisupagal Tosin Ajibade,
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