NIHOTOUR advocates tourism entrepreneurial skills for youths

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

The Director General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR),Nura Kangiwa has advocated for skill acquisition in the diverse tourism trades for youth entrepreneurship in the country .
He said, for the country to succeed in the fight against unemployment, there is a need to counsel and discourage youths from pursuing and relying only on white-collar jobs.
A statement signed by Ahmed M. Sule,Director, Media &Public Relation, said
Kangiwa made the appeal when he received members of the Compass Crew who paid him a courtesy visit to congratulate him on his appointment as Director General of NIHOTOUR at the Institute’s headquarters in Abuja.
He emphasized that everything about tourism is business, saying the Nigerian youths can explore to be self and gainfully employed.
He said the choice of members of the Compass Crew to embark on walk, hike and climbing as hobby can be explored and transformed into tourism events and activities that are economically viable and beneficial to will-be operators, especially youths who are roaming the streets in search of unavailable jobs.
Kangiwa expressed his excitement with the congratulatory visit, said as part of NIHOTOUR’s mandate, the Institute will offer manpower training and capacity building for practitioners and operators in the tourism and travel related activities and in particular.
He said the outdoor tourism activities of the Compass Crew in hiking, walking and climbing is a way of boosting the country’s tourism base.
In his remarks, leader of the delegation and Chairman of Compass Crew, Hussaini Yeldu said the group was established with the intent to escape the crowded city via walk, hike, and climb with fellow nature loving companions,.
He noted that,Compass Crew organizes outdoor events and activities that promote good health of recreational benefits as well as promote economic development.
He said the visit of members of the Group is to seek for partnership with NIHOTOUR in exploring the vast tourism potentials of the country, especially outdoor tourism related activities in line with best global practices as obtained in other climes.
He called on the Institute to consider researching into the economic benefits and human values inherent in outdoor tourism in Nigeria, Alhaji Yeldu advocated that priority attention be given to outdoor tourism events in view of their potentials in the promotion of the vast Nigerian Eco-tourism system.