Advance Party from Zimbabwe arrives Lagos for Port Harcourt Bantaba. Deputy Minister of Tourism Annastacia Ndlovu, CEO of Zimbabwe Tourism Board Karikoga Keseke and Deputy Director ZTA Douglas Mavhembu at Sheraton Lagos hotel today.
An advance team led by Deputy Minister of Zimbabwe for Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Anastasia Ndlovu has arrived Nigeria for the maiden edition of Port Harcourt Bantaba 2017.
The team consisting of the Deputy Minister, CEO of Zimbabwe Tourism Board, Karikoga Keseke and Deputy Director, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, Douglas Mavhembu arrived Lagos today and met with the Akwaaba team. They came to seek the support of the Nigerian travel stakeholders for the candidature of Dr Mzembi who is expected to join the team later.
The forth coming Port Harcourt Bantaba 2017 will also have in attendance Alain St.Ange of the Seychelles.
Both candidates from Africa are contesting for the position of Secretary General of the UNWTO at the election scheduled to hold in May in Madrid, Spain.
They are coming to the maiden travel event to dialogue on how the high level position will not elude Africa.
Their participation at the event is the initiative of the Organiser and the team leader of TeamAfrica, the Pan African tourism group, Ikechi Uko.
The event scheduled to commence on Thursday 16th of March at the Garden City is expected to host top dignitaries in the tourism industry in Nigeria and Africa.
Other attendees for Bantaba which used to be held in Abuja – with the first edition six years ago are Timothy McPherson, the finance minister of Acompong, Jamaica, Governor of Abia State and Damian Cook a specialist on e-tourism from East Africa.
Among other things, leading global experts will train agents on how to package in-bound and out-bound tours, while there will also be an E-tourism training sessions at Bantaba. Training will cover topics including e-Tourism in theory and practice, e-marketing strategy, web design, content and management, analytics and conversion optimisation, search engine marketing, and many more.
Bantaba is a travel and tourism speed dating event that was first held on Abuja in 2011. And it was a success story. It was an opportunity for stakeholders in the industry to come together to discuss some of the salient issues affecting the sector and the way forward.
With the Akwaaba annual travel fair, the foremost West African travel fair holding in Lagos, ACCRA Weizo in Ghana, the Bantaba speed dating will offer a platform for travel trade networking in the South-South & South- East region of the country this year.
