President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed Nigeria’s readiness to host the first-ever Global Conference on Tourism, Culture, and the Creative Industry in November, in a conducive environment.
He spoke Wednesday during a visit to the headquarters of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in Madrid, Spain, at the beginning of his State Visit to the country.
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He described the granting of the hosting rights as “further proof of Nigeria’s support for the vision of the organization and also an affirmation of the confidence reposed in our country by your organization.’’
He said the event would provide yet another opportunity for the country to showcase its tourism and creative industry to the whole world.
“It will also serve as an opportunity to extend our warm hospitality to the world and introduce the country’s leisure and business sectors to potential investors. We have not-so-well-known wonders to reveal!”
Buhari assured participants from across the world of “a safe and secure environment as well as excellent facilities.”
He thanked the Secretary-General for granting 100 UNWTO Online Academy Scholarships on the ‘Introduction to Tourism-Industry Management’ stressing that this would further boost youth empowerment and education as well as address the manpower shortage in the tourism sector.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, whose ministry is facilitating the conference, said Nigeria was given the hosting rights at the 64th meeting of the UNWTO in Cape Verde in 2021, explaining that “our plan is to host the event in the iconic National Theatre in Lagos which is currently being massively refurbished for the first time since its commissioning some 46 years ago.
