The first edition of Abia Hospitality Business Conference and Awards (AHBCA) was held last week at the Luxury City Hotel, Aba, Abia State. It was an epoch making event as practitioners in tourism industry from within and outside the state gathered to discuss the hospitality business and tourism in the state.

The convener of the conference and state chairperson of the Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria (ATPN) Mrs. Onyekachi Atuloma-Loveday, in her welcome speech, said the theme of the conference, “Raising the Bar: Elevating Abia’s Hospitality Industry Through Collaboration and Innovation”, reflects the commitment of her team to position Abia State as a prime tourism destination. She said she believes the conference would offer opportunities to tourism practitioners within and outside the state to collaborate, network, promote innovative ideas to enhance best practices and promote competitiveness in the hospitality industry in the state.

Speaking on the state of the tourism industry in Abia State, Atuloma-Loveday said: “Today, we have assembled to champion a cause that has the potential to transform Abia State’s economy, create jobs, empower our youths and women. Tourism is the bedrock of sustainable development and it is time for our great state to tap into It.”

In his goodwill message at the event, the President of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria, Mr. Nkereuwem Onung congratulated the convener for the success of the conference and advised her to create the right narrative and focus on the tourism products she is selling. He also urged state government to partner with the private sector to develop tourism in the state and that it was the only way to achieve the right result. The Abia State Commissioner for Art, Culture, and Creative Economy, Mr. Mathew Ekwuribe, thanked the organisers, saying the theme of the conference perfectly aligns with the vision of the state governor, Dr. Alex Otti. He said the ministry was ‘working to harness the full potential of Abia’s rich cultural heritage, tourism assets and creative talent. It is our firm belief that tourism in Abia will not only attract visitors from around the world but also serve as yardstick for economic transformation within the state.’ The commissioner was represented by the Director General of state’s tourism board, Mrs. Kate Emezuo.

In a paper presented by the publisher of Africa Travel Herald, Mr. Okorie Uguru, titled the Abia Hospitality Industry and the Imperative of Developing the State’s Tourism Assets,” he lamented that despite the huge tourism assets of the state, it was not effectively being harnessed. He asked why such key and important tourism asset like the Ojukwu Bunker and Okpara house be leased out to an influential individual in the state that have no interest in developing the place.

He said: “For those may not know, Ojukwu Bunker built many feet underground during the civil war is a testament of engineering ingenuity of Biafran structural engineers in the 60s. Abia State could develop Ojukwu Bunker by adding value to the place and creating the right narrative. “Unfortunately, the property was leased out to an individual for many years. No state or country that wants to develop its tourism asset does that. The state needs to urgently revoke this key tourism asset to whoever it was leased to.

“In Addis Ababa, a tour of the city is incomplete without visiting Haile Selassie home. Tourists are offered the opportunity to visit the palace of the former Ethiopian emperor, the late King Haile Selassie. There visitors could see his bed, military uniform, his bathroom, living room and so on.

“I was in South Africa some years; one of the places we were taking to visit is the Mandela House on 115 Velakazi Street, Soweto. Every day hundreds of tourists line up to visit Mandela’s house. Nothing spectacular in there except that the late Nelson Mandela once lived there.”

Also delivering a paper titled: “Hospitality business is a goldmine if well packaged”, Lady Uzo Nnedi N. Ike, the Principal Consultant of Shape Ideas Nigeria, said the hospitality industry is a viable industry that can be packaged for serious business, taking into consideration certain factors like quality management, standard welfare package for employees, security, adequate development of physical infrastructure and many money.

She spoke further: “The hospitality industry holds a great potential for job and wealth creation. For the economy, there must be rules set. The administrator must organize themselves to follow regulations. A set standard for facilities and services must be met by all. Hotel and catering industry is the backbone of tourism and it also plays a leading role in meeting the needs of tourism globally.” Other papers were presented by Dr. Peter Ofuka, Mr. Wilson Uche, a consultant with Ethiopian Airlines, and Ifeanyi Okali, the Director of ABN TV .

The event also had a live band on stage, choreographic dancers, and a fashion parade to entertain the guests.

In the evening, there was a gala night that saw special awards given to individuals and companies that have distinguished themselves in various sectors of the tourism and hospitality industry value chain.