The Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria (ITPN), organisers of the tourism transportation summit and expo, has said that the 2021 edition aimed to complement the African Union’s efforts at integrating African countries.
Chief Abiodun Odusanwo, National President of ITPN and Chairman, main organising committee, made this known in a statement, on Friday.
He said that the 2-day summit would begin on Nov. 15 at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
Odusanwo said the programme would draw wider participants and target audience in line with the regional integration efforts of the African Union and the ECOWAS.
He said this could become not only a reality, but a positive socio-political asset to member nations and their citizens when transportation becomes efficient, safe, cost effective and sustainable.
According to him, this will be done through the exploration of such platforms as is offered by the International Tourism Transportation Summit and Expo.
He noted that the theme of the summit is: “Tourism, Transportation, Connectivity and Partnership: Leveraging the AfCFTA regime for economic sustainability”.
Odusanwo said the theme was informed by and in line with the strategic framework for delivering on Africa’s goal for inclusive and sustainable development, through accelerated intra-African trade.
He said that the summit had, since inception, offered the unique opportunity to meet with national and international regulators, policy makers, operators and clients in the industry.
“It equally offers participants the avenue to showcase and market their transportation and tourism services to more than a thousand relevant and highly engaged national and international cross-sectoral delegates.
“From aviation, maritime, railways, airport operators, road transportation, national and international travel, and mass transportation operators in the tourism and hospitality value chain,” he said.
He also stated that the aim of the summit was to boost Africa’s trading position in the global market by strengthening Africa’s common voice and policy space in global trade negotiations.
“This is based on an agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area which was adopted on March 21, 2018, and came into force on May 30th, 2019,” he said.
Odusanwo added that the event would help highlight the policy implementation modules developed for successive rounds of negotiation among trading partners of the African continent.
He reaffirmed the need for developing programmes of international cooperation within the African continent in order to improve and strengthen the basic conditions for the sustainable development of tourism transportation industries.
The summit’s organisers believed that tourism and transport connectivity were critical to bridging transport and tourism policies and the creation of a liberalised market for easy and free movement of goods and services.
According to him, the summit would deliberate on the complex relationship between transport provision and tourism, in boosting the economy of the continent through a single market for goods, services.
He said the summit also aimed to deepen the economic integration of the African continent in accordance with the Pan-African vision of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa.
The ITPN is collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Federal Ministry of Aviation, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Federal Capital Territory Administration, the Organised private sector, relevant organisations and critical stakeholders in the travel, tourism and transportation sectors.
Participants and exhibitors are expected from the travel tourism, transportation and the hospitality value chain across the African continent, as well as representatives from the African Union and the ECOWAS, among others.
The summit will feature Tourism Transport Summit, Tourism Transport Training, Exhibition-B2B and G2B sessions, Tourism Transport Ambassadors Award and Gala Night.(NAN)
