Gambia Certifies 89 Nigerian Travel Professionals to Drive Regional Growth
No fewer than 89 members of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) had been licensed as Gambia Tourism Destination Specialists by the Gambia Institute of Tourism and Hospitality.
In a brief ceremony supervised by Honourable Alieu Baldeh, a member of the Tourism Committee for the Gambian Parliament, assisted by NANTA President – Yinka Folami, the newly certified destination marketing specialists were enjoined to run and make profound impact on cultural tourism growth in the Gambia and across Africa with the experience and knowledge acquired during the training programme.
Honourable Baldeh said he was impressed with the seriousness and determination of the trainees, the majority on their first visit to Gambia and assured them of the support and encouragement of the Gambian government and Parliament.
“We are happy to welcome you here and also see how serious you were during your lectures, and the Gambian Government cannot thank the leadership of NANTA enough for bringing you all here to the smiling coast of Africa. We see cultural tourism as our main revenue commodity, and by the grace of God, all of you here will help Gambia tourism to become a household name in Nigeria, nay Africa. Your reputation as a responsible association of professionals precedes you, and by the grace of God, all of you shall return home to your destination safely”, Honourable Alieu Baldeh stated.
NANTA President, Yinka Folami, reiterated the importance of training and retraining exposure for the members of the association, urging the new destination specialists not to rest on their laurels, adding that those who fail to seek knowledge would invariably meet with unexplainable challenges in a dynamic and ever-evolving travel and tourism industry.
“Do not go hide your certificates in a cupboard or merely display them on your walls, but intentionally go out there and put the knowledge and experiences gained here to use, and help change the tourism and commerce trade narratives between Nigeria and Gambia”, Folami urged.
About The Author
