The International Institute of Tourism and Hospitality, Yenagoa, Bayelss State has called for the implementation of the national standards qualification framework by relvant regulatory bodies on the standardisation of the tourism and hospitality industry in Nigeria.
The institute made the call at the end of 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.
In the communique issued at the end of the occasion, the Institute called for the provision of infrastructural support and funding of the implementation of the national standards qualification framework
The conference called on relevant stakeholders and industry players to take advantage of the novel conference to enhance the professional competence of practitioners in order to promote economic viability and productivity.
Participants called for the review of the national tourism policy/master plan and legislation to support the professionalisation of the tourism sector, including the establishment of 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 communique also recommended investment in training for capacity building to enhance the professionalism of the workforce.
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The communique recommended the mitigation of personnel shortages where managers in the hospitality and tourism sector should prioritise 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 communique 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, sensitisation, awareness and implementation activities to ensure compliance for quality services.
It charged government to play a key role in supporting these efforts through funding, policy support, regulations, and collaboration.
The conference commended the remarkable milestone, saying 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.
