*As association vows to market Kwara tour sites to global audience

The Nigeria Association of Tour Operators (NATOP) has lined up top travel technocrats to speak on its 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM) set for Kwara State from July 17 to 20, tagged ‘Kwara 24’.  The theme for the association’s AGM for this year is ‘Tourism as a catalyst for progress, peace and partnership,’ and it is being organised in collaboration with the Kwara State government.

Among the speakers lined up for the AGM is Bayo Adedeji, the Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Wakanow, one of Africa’s leading online travel booking platform. Adedeji  took over as the CEO of Wakanow in 2019 and had guided the company into an era of profitability and growth.  He would be speaking from a wealth of experience from the business world that has span more than 20 years.

Another speaker is Mrs. Stella Fubara, the managing director of Del-York Development Company, a subsidiary of Del-York Group. Fubara is a very active face in the African travel industry, having worked as Regional Director of International Operations at the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism. She has more than 25 years’ experience in the travel and tourism industry.

Mrs. Uloma Egbuna, the managing director and CEO of Tour Brokers International (TBI), a company dedicated to promoting tourism services, is also expected to speak at the AGM. With more than 34 years’ experience in the travel and tourism industry, Egbuna is one of the leading voices in the industry in the country.  

The fourth speaker at the AGM is Dr. Kabir Ali Masanawa. He is the Vice President of Angel Investors Business Forum based in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He has acquired experience in managing multi-million-dollar budgets, and also an avid traveller.

Meanwhile, NATO President Mrs. Imeh Udo has reiterated that the reason for taking the association’s AGM to Kwara State was to use the opportunity to promote and market the state to attract local and international tourists. She mentioned key tourist attractions in the state like the Ilorin Emir’s palace, Sobi Hills and many other attractions as some of the places the association plans to visit and market. She said: “It has always been our tradition to host our AGM in different states of the federation to deliberately put searchlight on the tourism potential in each state.

“Our 8th AGM would hold in Ilorin, Kwara state. So, we have planned to market most of the sites in the state as local and global choice destinations. We will be visiting Sobi Hills, Owu falls, the University of Ilorin Zoological Garden and the iconic places where local fabrics of Aso-oke are made, and so on.”