Follow Us on Google
By Okorie Uguru
Nigeria is set to miss the most influential global travel and tourism gathering, the World Travel Market London (WTM London) for this year.
The travel fair will kick off in Custom House, ExCel London next week from Tuesday, November 4 to 7.
A source at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, Arts and Creative Economy said the country cannot exhibit due to paucity of fund.
Nigeria’s participation in the last few editions had been spearheaded by the private sector tourism industry practitioners under the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN), the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA) and the Nigeria Association of Tour Operators (NATOP).
However, last year, the private sector operators handed over Nigeria’s participation to the Ministry of Tourism to spearhead. However, when one of the aides of the Minister of Tourism was contacted over Nigeria’s participation this year, he said Nigeria would not participate due to lack of funds.
With this development, Nigeria will lose the opportunity to showcase Nigeria’s tourist attractions and business opportunities to the global audience.
WTM London is framing this year’s edition around technology and other innovations in the travel industry. The Technology Summit during the fair will focus on the critical role that technology can play supporting sellers and suppliers during the current period of disruption and emerging new challenges.
The summit takes place on Wednesday 5 November on the Purple Stage, starting at 10.45am. Over three hours, attendees will hear from a global line-up of carefully selected technology experts, from C-suite executives to entrepreneurs via lawyers, investors and researchers.
The agenda supports WTM London’s decision to align all stages and sessions under the unifying theme of Reimagining Travel in a Changing World. Twelve different sessions have been curated by Timothy O’Neil-Dunne, WTM’s technology advisor and an established industry commentator and observer. He was a founding management team member at Expedia in the 1990s, and he is currently a Principal at T2Impact Ltd, a global consulting and venture firm laser-focussed on aviation, travel and tourism.
