ICTP applauds tourism developments in Nigeria

HAWAII, USA; BRUSSELS, Belgium; VICTORIA, Seychelles; BALI, Indonesia –- The International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP) has sent a congratulatory message to their member destination Nigeria for introducing tourist Visa cards to ease the burden of tourists carrying cash while in Nigeria and a biometric registration system for the tourism industry workers.

This follows a meeting at FITUR between Mr. Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, the Director General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, and Minister Alain St.Ange of the Seychelles.

In a press statement released in Madrid, Spain, a co-founder of the internationally-acclaimed body, Mr. Alain St.Ange also commended Nigeria for its efforts at curbing fraudulent tendencies in the industry.

Mr. Alain St.Ange, who is also a member of the ICTP Executive Board, lauded these efforts at repositioning the tourism industry in Nigeria with international standards and best practices.

“We in ICTP are very pleased with these developments and innovations in Nigeria. We believe these new products are good for tourism growth in the continent,” Minister St.Ange said.

Accordingly, the ICTP is encouraging other countries in Africa to do what Nigeria has done for the growth of tourism in their countries.

“We encourage other countries in Africa to introduce these products to ease the movements of tourists who would not carry cash, because people don’t carry cash across borders any longer,” he said.

On the introduction of biometric registration, the ICTP said it viewed the development as a right step forward at instilling confidence in tourists in line with global standard and best practices. The biometric registration will ensure that the CV of hotel staff are always available to all tourism establishments prior to recruitment of new applicants. This will remain in an internal confidential data base for the tourism industry. It is an innovative system and Africa will be watching how it develops as it will ensure hotels have the latest information on the tourism workforce.

“We are pleased Nigeria has taken this step; we hope other countries would do same,” Minister St.Ange added.

Mr. Otunba Olusegun Runsewe said: “I’d like to thank the industry players for appreciating our modest contribution with regards to development in the industry. I am also very happy with ICTP’s words of encouragement.”

Mr. Otunba Olusegun Runsewe is a Council member of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners.

ABOUT ICTP

The International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP) is a grassroots travel and tourism coalition of global destinations committed to quality service and green growth. ICTP engages communities and their stakeholders to share quality and green opportunities including tools and resources, access to funding, education, and marketing support. ICTP advocates sustainable aviation growth, streamlined travel formalities, fair coherent taxation, and investments for jobs. ICTP supports the UN Millennium Development Goals, the UN World Tourism Organization’s Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, and a range of programs that underpin them. ICTP has over 100 destination members, including: Anguilla; Aruba; Australia; Bangladesh; Belgium, Belize; Brazil; Canada; Caribbean; China; Croatia; Cyprus; Ecuador; Egypt; Falkland Islands; (The) Gambia; Georgia; Germany; Ghana; Greece; Grenada; India; Indonesia; Iran; Italy; Jordan; Kenya; Korea (South); La Reunion (French Indian Ocean); Malawi; Malaysia; Mauritius; Mexico; Morocco; (The) Netherlands; Nicaragua; Nigeria; Northern Mariana Islands (USA Pacific Island Territory); Romania; Sultanate of Oman; Pakistan; Palestine; Philippines; Portugal; Rwanda; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; South Africa; Sri Lanka; St. Eustatius (Dutch Caribbean); St. Kitts; St. Lucia; Sudan; Swaziland; Tajikistan; Tanzania; Trinidad & Tobago; UAE; Uganda; USA; Yemen; Zambia; and Zimbabwe.

For more information, go to: www.tourismpartners.org