By Sade Williams
Akwaaba African Travel Market (AAfTM), the biggest travel and tourism fair in West Africa, on Sunday, opened for business and exhibition at the Eko Hotels and Suits, Lagos, amid glitz and glamour.
Exhibitors sighted in their booths on Sunday included Memorial Hospitals Group from Turkey, Royal Senchi Hotels from Ghana, MTN Nigeria, Ekiti State, Cinderella Travels and Tours, Skyway Aviation Handling Company PLC, The Gambia tourism, Eko Hotels and Suits, Ethiopian airline, Ibom Air, among others.
Speaking shortly after accompanying the President of Association of Chiefs in Ghana, Chief Okatachi Nana the first, to declare open the event, organiser of Akwaaba AfTM and publisher of atq magazine, Ambassador Ikechi Uko said he started the biggest travel market in West Africa 20 years ago because he wanted an avenue where Africa could be marketed within the continent, to the world.
He said his vision was further supported by encouragement from industry players like the operators of Eko Hotels and Suits and the former General Manager of British Airways, who advised him to replicate in Africa, the annual World Travel Market in London.
“I did a lot of job, including studying hard on to start a travel market, what we wanted was to bring Africans together and we have done that for the past 29 years. I asked myself why do we need to travel to London to market Africa and why not do it in Africa?
“Eko Hotels and Suits gave the backing, I was also encouraged by the then GM of British Airways and other stakeholders and I am happy that we have been supported by the good people around us and that support had brought us this far, I am very excited we have come this far. Nigeria is ripe for tourism, this is the to link the Nigerian travel business to global travel business.”, he said.
Also speaking, Okatachi praised Uko for sustaining the event despite effects of COVID-19 on global businesses.
He called on Africans to unite to develop tourism to enhance its contribution to the continent’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Speaking on behalf of the headline sponsor of the event, MTN Nigeria, Omowunmi Olatunbosun, head, Small and Medium-sized Enterprise segment, Enterprise business, said the company is ready to partner and support private organisations and individuals who are willing to invest to develop tourism in Nigeria.
She said MTN has transitioned from being a telecommunication company to a technology company with many subsidiaries such as MoMo and other Fintech platforms helping to transom business of its over 80 million customers.
Adding to the allure of the event was the annual Jollof rice war, a competition among some selected chefs in Lagos, the carnival calabar dancers and the presence of Miss Tourism of various African countries.
