World Tourism Day: NIHOTOUR celebrates with vocational training for Kebbi youths, women

The National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) has concluded arrangements to impact knowledge-based tour guiding skills for youths and women in Kebbi State as part of activities marking the 2021 World Tourism Day being hosted in the state.

The Director General of NIHOTOUR, Alhaji Nura Sani Kangiwa, said on Sunday in statement by the spokesman of the institute, Ahmed Mohammed Sule, that this is in continuation of its vocational skill acquisition training of youths and women across the six geo-political zones of the country.

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Kangiwa said that the event is also in line with the theme of the 2021 World Tourism Day: “Tourism for Inclusive Growth”.

“NIHOTOUR is poised to make the celebration a grand cultural event that will impart positively on the socio-economic lives of the people of the state, adding that events slated for the annual program are meant to highlight Nigeria’s rich cultural and sport tourism endowments.

“Argungu Emirate is known as the flagship of Nigeria’s cultural and sport destination because of its prestigious International Argungu Fishing and Cultural Festival, the training of the youths of the state in tour guiding will empower them to partake in the promotional activities of tourism in the state, thus providing them with skills for gainful self-employment,” he said.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) said that the choice of this year’s theme, “Tourism for Inclusive Growth”, was informed by the need to focus attention on people centred tourism engagements.

The UNWTO said it is also to ensure that in celebrating the World Tourism Day 2021, no person is left behind as the world begins to open up for robust tourism activities that was abruptly interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Travel Tourism Department of NIHOTOUR said that the ‘Tour Guiding’ exercise tagged “Tour Guiding Operations for Women and Youths in Kebbi State” will commence from Saturday 25 to Tuesday 28 September 2021.

Sule said that this will put participants through the rudiments of tour guiding in view of the large number of tourists trooping into the state due to its tourism endowed feature including the annual various sports and socio-cultural events.