UNIAbuja partners NIHOTOUR to establish tourism, hospitality department

The University of Abuja is partnering with the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) to establish a Departments of Travel-Tourism and Hospitality under the Faculty of Management Sciences in the university.

The spokesman of the institute, Ahmed Mohammed Sule, said on Tuesday in a statement that the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Abdul Rashid Na Allah, made the disclosure at a one-day Seminar on “Tourism and Hospitality Legislations for Improved Revenue Generation and Development: Lessons from China”.

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Prof. Na Allah at the event organized by the trio of NIHOTOUR, UNIABUJA and the China Cultural Centre in Nigeria, said the Hospitality Travel Tourism industry of the country desire skilled and high-level manpower that can deliver quality services of international standards.

The Vice Chancellor represented by the Director Institute for Legislative Studies of the University, Assoc. Prof. Sheriff Ghali Ibrahim, noted that training and impactful vocational skills are what the tourism industry of the country desires to be able to explore the country’s vast tourism potentials for the socio-economic benefits of Nigeria and its people.

Speaking earlier, the Director General NIHOTOUR, Alhaji Nura Sani Kangiwa, regretted that hospitality and tourism laws in the country are long overdue for review in line with global best practices.

Kangiwa who called for a general overhaul of hospitality and tourism laws in the country that will enable the industry operate as a huge revenue generating industry as well as improve the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Nigeria, said that a robust tourism development policy for tourism enhancement is of utmost importance.

Also speaking at the occasion, the Cultural Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy and Director of China Cultural Centre in Nigeria, Mr. Li Xuda, said China was able to record great successes in the growth and development of its tourism industry because the needed infrastructural facilities and hospitality amenities were put in place.

He urged Nigeria to invest and make the provision of functional infrastructures at tourism sites a priority if the tourism industry of the country is to thrive and flourish.