UNWTO to site global tourism university in Nigeria

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) on Tuesday announced the establishment of three universities of Tourism in Africa with assurance that one will be located in Nigeria.

Zurab Pololikashuili, Secretary General, UNWTO disclosed this during the UNWTO Conference on Linking Tourism, Culture and Creative Industries, held at the National Theatre complex.

“Since the start of my mandate, I have made education a priority for UNWTO. Our expanded online academy and partnerships with key universities are giving people the skills and knowledge that tourism needs. We will be siting tourism universities in Africa and one of them will be located here in Nigeria,” he said.

Pololikashuili noted that global tourism start-up competitions had been held for over 10 times and from each, UNWTO had generated great interest and wonderful ideas from across Africa, including from Nigeria.

he congratulated the government of Nigeria for the project and for helping to make the nation one of the most exciting gastronomy tourism destinations right now.

he said it was obvious that tourism was bouncing back, with the observation of the busy airports, full planes and packed conference halls. According to him, cultural tourism will be a key driver of the sector’s recovery.

“I especially would like to thank President Muhammadu Buhari and his government, represented by the honourable Minister, Lai Mohammed, for hosting us. This is my second time in Nigeria, it is a real pleasure to be back and we could not have asked for a better location for this timely conference.

“We are meeting in one of Africa’s youngest and most dynamic countries, Nigeria and Lagos especially is a hub of innovation, It is home to countless entrepreneurs, including in tourism,” he said.

“And, of course, it is home to Nollywood, an industry that makes 50 movies a week and generates 1 billion US dollars a year. It is a city where culture is celebrated, the “Flavors of the World” initiative, for example, caught my eyes, It gives us the taste of the diverse gastronomy of our world,” he said.

The Secretary General noted that UNWTO research had found out that culture was the main motivation for tourism growth, as 40 per cent of all tourists going into Africa were spurred by cultural issues.

he said the UNWTO’S partnership with Netflix, a valued UNWTO Affiliate Member, showcased just how well tourism can work.

According to him, both cultural tourism and the creative industries were growing in size and relevance.