Tourism Afrikana, organisers of the African Hospitality and Tourism Education Summit Nigeria, has unveiled BWC Hotels as official partner and host for the forthcoming Afrikana Hospitality and Tourism Education Summit Nigeria 2024 (AHTES24), which is slated to hold between July 26 and 27 in Lagos.
The partnership deal was confirmed by Umakant Upadhyay, general manager of BWC Hotels, and Chimezie Mike Onyeneke, convener and founder of Tourism Afrikana, who is also a member of the Top 100 Nigerian Tourism Personalities.
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Speaking on the partnership deal, Upadhyay said that the partnership perfectly aligns with the objectives of the summit, ensuring an unparalleled experience for participants and global delegates. Emphasising the commitment to excellence, he underscored the hotel’s dedication to providing top-notch hospitality services, promising attendees a memorable and enriching experience.
Onyeneke expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, affirming BWC Hotels as an ideal venue for hosting such a gathering. He also spoke on the educational city tour of Lagos scheduled for the second day of the summit in collaboration with the Lagos State government through the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.
According to him, ‘‘AHTES24’s major goal is to showcase the relevance of hospitality and tourism education towards African economic development as Tourism Afrikana continues to promote hospitality and tourism education in Africa through these initiatives.
‘‘The infusion of the Build Afrika Hospitality and Tourism Career Presentation Contest Initiative is a laudable part of the event, which takes place on the same day by students in various hospitality and tourism institutions in Africa.’’
The theme of this year’s summit is; ‘Catalyzing growth: Empowering business solutions through hospitality and tourism education in Africa’. It will attract among others scholars, industry experts, enthusiasts, students, hotels, travel and tourism companies, airlines, culinary schools, aviation schools and B2B entities.
Onyeneke said that the primary objective of AHTES is to continually drive business solutions in Africa through hospitality and tourism education.
The key focus areas of AHTES2024, according to him, will be educational empowerment; industry integration; innovative strategies; global perspectives and entrepreneurial mindset.
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The keynotes presentations he said would address issues of curriculum for prosperity: positioning hospitality and tourism management as a key discipline in shaping African educational and economic future; and interdependence between industry and academia: a panacea for a highly skilled workforce in sub-Saharan Africa.
“AHTES 2024 will dive deep into pressing topics and emerging trends with industry experts and thought leaders on tourism and hospitality education and its impacts on economic development in Africa,” he added.
