SON inaugurates committee on tourism

The Acting Director General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Dr. Paul Angya, has said that standardization of the various tourism activities and products in the country are critical in the development and growth of the sector.

He made this assertion yesterday at the inauguration of the National Mirror Committee on Tourism Related Activities in Lagos under the leadership of Mrs. Chika Balogun.

Speaking at the inauguration, Dr. Paul Angya, said the committee provides an opportunity to harness the country’s knowledge of tourism to grow the Nigerian economy through participation in regional and global standardization activities.

“A National Mirror Committee provides a good avenue for the aggregation of knowledge, facts and views from stakeholders and interested parties in Nigeria to make valuable contributions to the elaboration of international standards with a view to ensuring that our peculiarities are taken into consideration in arriving at the final draft of the standards for tourism.”

He added that the committee will be the voice of the country at International Organisation for Standardization, African Organisation for Standardization and ECOWAS in developing standards specifically for the tourism industry.

While noting that Nigeria stands to benefit more from tourism now that it is looking for alternative sources of revenue to oil, Angya represented by Komolafe Abiola, Director of Standards in the organisation, said it is expected that the committee through its work will be able to position the country’s tourism to compete globally.

Speaking after the inauguration, the elected chairman of the committee, Chika Balogun, the Director General, National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism Studies (NIHOTOUR), promised that they will work towards standardization and quality assurance in attracting international tourists  to the country.