The International Institute of Tourism and Hospitality, Yenagoa, has successfully hosted its first National Annual Conference, showcasing the academic prowess of the institution in tourism development.

The event brought together scholars, practitioners, and students from diverse fields.

Prof. Apuega Arikawei, Rector of the institute in his welcome address, acknowledged the presence of participants for being part of the maiden edition.

He noted that academic conferences are essential traditions by higher institutions to provide periodic platform for the cross-fertilization of ideas and knowledge exchange.

Arikawei however emphasized that hosting such a conference was a true reflection of the maturity, growth, and academic viability of the institute which according to him is in fulfilling its three-fold mandate of teaching, research, and professional development.

Speaking at the event, Prof. Nimibofa Ayawei, Secretary to the Bayelsa State Government and Chairman of the event who was represented by Prof. Paul B. Igbongidi, commended the Institute for taking bold steps to advance both the ideals of the institute and the vision of the prosperity administration through this academic gathering.

The SSG charged the Institute to continuously build on this foundation to further consolidate on its commitment to practical learning, especially through the Institute's Ventures such as Bakery, where students gain practical knowledge and experience in bread production, an example of "practicing what they teach."

The success of the conference highlighted the Institute's dedication to fostering academic excellence and industry relevance in tourism and hospitality.

Highpoint of the conference was a book launch and awards to notable people of Bayelsa who have contributed to the Tourism and Hospitality industry in Bayelsa.

In a communiqué at the end of the conference, participants identified some challenges and made recommendations to improve the tourism sector in Nigeria.

The communiqué listed the challenges to include lack of effective implementation of National Standards Qualification Framework (NSQF) by relevant regulatory bodies, lack of continuous training and development of personnel in the tourism and hospitality sector, lack of innovation, and adaptability by stakeholders to cope with standard practices and emerging trends in the rapidly evolving industry.

Also listed as challenge is the lack of resources, both human and material needed to promote service delivery in the hospitality and tourism industry for effective service delivery, among others.

The conference urged government and relevant stakeholders to fully implement the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) on the standardization of the tourism and hospitality industry in Nigeria.

The communiqué called for provision of infrastructural support and also to fund the implementation of the NSQF.

The conference called on relevant stakeholders and industry players take advantage of the novel conference to enhance professional competence of practitioners in order to promote economic viability and productivity.

Participants called for the review of National Tourism Policy/Master Plan and Legislation to support the professionalization of the tourism sector, including the establishment of the national standards and certification programmes.

The conference called for cooperation amongst all major service providers, industry players, and stakeholders with the sector regulatory bodies to achieve sanity through standard operations and satisfactory quality assurance mechanism in service delivery.

The communiqué also recommended investment in training for capacity building to enhance the professionalism of the workforce is most desirable.

The communiqué recommended mitigation of personnel shortages where managers in the hospitality and tourism sector should prioritize respectful treatment of staff, periodic review of employee benefits, collaborative supervision and opportunities for training and career development.

Participants advocated for consistent research to promote customer satisfaction as a key driver of professionalism and success in the tourism industry, especially in this digital era.

The communiqué also recommended that tourism sector professional bodies like the Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria (FTAN), Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria (ITPN), trade union of professional bodies, regulatory bodies such as NIHOTOUR and Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) should step up advocacy, sensitization, awareness and implementation activities to ensure compliance for quality services.

Government should play a key role in supporting these efforts through funding, policy support, regulations, and collaboration.

The conference commended the remarkable milestone, it is important for critical stakeholders in the sector to look forward to many more impactful engagements that will shape the future of the Tourism and Hospitality sector in Bayelsa State and indeed, Nigeria for improved revenue earnings.

• PHOTO: Second From Left, Representative of Perdis Hotel, Mrs. Okocua Sandra, Representative of Matho-crystal Hotel, Prince Sunday, Representative of Ayalla Hotel, Eric Yua, Rector Institute of Tourism/Hospitality Yenagoa Prof. Apuege R. Arikawei, Representative of Ayalla Hotel, Akono Thalia, Representative of Ayalla Hotel, Eyene Samuel, Representative of Matho-crystal Hotel, Mrs Anum Confidence, Representative of Perdis Hotel. Mrs. Neki Ebidouere, during the Training Conference at Institute of Tourism/Hospitality Yenagoa.