…To Play Global Travel Ambassadors Role
…Says We Are Trained, Accountable Practitioners Not Informal Operators
…
As the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies ( NANTA) prepares for its 50th anniversary in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, its President, Yinka Folami said that the association is committed to repositioning to ake up responsibility to counterweight the harsh headlines that Nigeria has received
and also correct the negative perception.
Folami said this at a world press conference held in Ikeja, Lagos, today.
The NANTA President stated that there are many red flags affecting the country,one of which is the headlines about country, which according to him are harsh .
Besides the harsh headlines, Folami posited that visa restrictions on the country are increasing and that Global trust is eroding
Folami said that NANTA is convinced that these red flags do not reflect Nigeria’s ethnic depth and values,.
He pointed out that the pre-requisite to standing up to this responsibility, is to protect the commercial viability of Nigeria’s travel distribution market and by consequence the
businesses of its members;
The NANTA boss lamented that the businesses is presently plagued by United States Dollar Sales only by some airlines in spite of the Federal Government’s successful fiscal direction and reforms ,airline debit memos that will kill NANTA members businesses and Cross-Border Trading, which according to him is thankfully now on a downward trend
Other issues plaguing the travel trade industry he said includes : anticompetitive practices, misinterpretation of tax policies and misapplication on NANTA members .
He stated categorically that NANTA is a professional association whose members have been trained to conduct their businesses professionally inline with global practices.
He insisted that NANTA members does not tolerate illegality and misconduct in the course of carrying out there duties.
Fielding question on abandoning of travellers who bought tickets from travel agents in the event of any hiccup, the NANTA President said that members of the association does not welcome the maltreatment of travellers by airlines, adding that part of the training as professionals is to protect their customers to ensure that issues are resolved amicably.
On the maltreatment of a Nigerian traveller by one of the international airlines, Folami said that the case must have been reported to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)
Addressing illegality perpetrated by travel agents that may not be part of the association, he said, “Our response is clear. We are repositioning. We are dissociating ourselves completely from all forms of illegality and
misconduct in the sector. The Fraudsters are not us We are stepping forward as unofficial diplomats of Nigeria . We will use our platform to correct narratives and restore confidence . We have done this successfully in the past; at World Travel Market (WTM), South Africa, Turkey, ITTC to South Africa and Gambia among other places.”
Folami hinted that the association intend to also convert travellers into positive influencers of Nigeria globally, adding that NANTA is backing all these with structure.
NANTA’s training committee, the President said has now evolved into a fully registered professional institute; NANTA Training Institute for Travel Professionals Limited/GTE.
This, he said is very important because the best way to protect the association’s members
and stand up for the industry is to raise standards, enforce discipline,and ensure
that professionalism is not optional.
He called on the Federal Government to deploy regulation and protect the travel and trade market,l travellers, and SME businesses heritage, culture, and values.
Folami pointed out that though NANTA is 50, it is not just celebrating the past but that the association is correcting the present and positioning for the future.
According to him, “We are NANTA. We are
professionals. And we are proudly Nigerian.”
Speaking on this year’s theme, “Redefining Out Role as Global Travel Ambassadors,” the NANTA President, hinted that it was deliberately chosen as the association is talking about repositioning in response to the red flags the group is experiencing in the industry today.
On the choice of Ibadan as the host city of the 50th anniversary, of NANTA, he said, “Our location is also not by chance. Ibadan is the City of Firsts; a cradle of values, leadership, and history. At 50, we are returning to a place that represents structure and foundation, because what we are doing now is not just
celebration, it is a reset.”
“NANTA, the President said has been
organising the travel trade, supporting government on policy compliance, and
building structure in this industry.
On membership strength, Folami, said, “Today, we are over 3,500 professionals across the country. We are not informal operators. We are trained and accountable practitioners. And at 50, we are stepping into something bigger; a
more defined role as Global Travel Ambassadors.’
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