The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has come out to say that tourism is now a major catalyst for economic growth and social well-being of citizens all over the world.

He recently revealed that this is especially true for citizens who are in developing countries.

According to him, if we are not aware, Travel, Hospitality, Tourism, and other related services in Nigeria have over 1 million private establishments employing over 9.8 million persons in the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

He added that the hospitality industry in Nigeria even contributed about 4.8 per cent to Nigeria’s total national output (GDP) and utilised about 1.6 per cent of Nigerians in the year 2016, and it is expected to grow by 12 per cent yearly till 2023.

His words, “Now, one of the prerequisites for tourism to develop and play its desired role in the socio-economic life of a nation is the availability of well-trained personnel.

“This forms the basis for the Federal Government’s decision to have a specialized training institution for the hospitality and tourism industry in Nigeria, which culminated in the establishment of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR).

“NIHOTOUR is a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, and it is saddled with providing skills proficiency, technical upgrading programmes and professional knowledge-based education in the hospitality and tourism industry in Nigeria and West Africa,”

On Ortom, “Your Excellency, I want to thank you most sincerely for the promise made and the promise kept. The donation of this magnificent edifice shows your commitment to the growth of the Hospitality and Tourism sector in Benue state and, by extension, improvement in the quality of service delivery by the personnel that runs the sector. You have indeed taken a giant stride in this Sector, and we are most grateful to you.”