…Sets to unveil maiden edition of AITEC-World
By Emmanuella Oghenetega
Tourism offers an exponential amount of benefit to a country, as it helps increase a country’s GDP, creates jobs and helps foster cultural exchange and understanding.
It is in actualisation of this, that Kazeem Balogun, Vice President of the African International Tourism and Economic Council (AITEC), revealed the Council’s mission to harness the potentialities of the Nigerian Tourism Sector.
“Part of the aim and objective of AITEC, is to link not just Nigeria, but Africa to the world and the world to Africa by using tourism as a catalyst for shared economic development, cultural diplomacy, innovation and sustainable partnership.” The AITEC VP stated.
According to him, “Nigeria is not there yet when it comes to tourism, and that is what we aim to achieve; to place Nigeria on the global map.”
He announced the launch of the maiden edition of AITEC-World, scheduled to take place on Thursday 14th August, stating that, it would bring together, key government officials, diplomatic missions, international organisations, tourism boards, private sector leaders and many more.
Furthermore, he said that part of the main objective of AITEC is to create a high-impact platform where tourism becomes more than leisure, but that it also becomes a conduct of trade, investment, education, culture, innovation, peace and human connection.
“AITEC-World is built to drive strategic bilateral and multilateral collaborations between Africa and the global community, offering practical solutions to economic challenges and unleashing the full potential of the tourism sector as a transformative industry in the world.
“To achieve this, AITEC-World is anchored on six foundational pillars, that guides our work and inspires our initiatives;
1. Strengthen Africa’s and Global Tourism Brand
2. Improve Mobility and Connectivity
3. Drive Investment and Economic Growth.
4. Strengthen Policies, Data, and Innovation.
5. Promote Sustainable and Inclusive Development.
6. Integrate African and International Tourism.
“It is our utmost believe that once we implement all these major pillars among other ones, we would be able to
elevate Africa’s rich heritage while fostering intercultural dialogue across the world and
attracting global capital and facilitating investments in tourism, infrastructure, SMEs, and sustainable ventures across the world.
“Also, we hope it our pillars will assist in
harnessing technology and smart tourism tools to future-proof the industry and drive economic inclusion, thereby engaging policymakers to create enabling environments and empowering tourism professionals through training and mentorship, as well as promoting tourism as a force for peace, conflict resolution, environmental sustainability, and inclusive growth.” The VP concluded.
