NATIONAL ASSEMBLY PASSES NIHOTOUR ACT

CHIKA BALOGUN (NIHOTOUR DIRECTOR GENERAL)

Loud celebration followed the recent passing of the NIHOTOUR Act by the National Assembly. We hear that the National Institute for Hospitality And Tourism (NIHOTOUR) has been on the matter for quite a while until it finally got an Act for the long struggle.



By this ‘Act’ “the mandate of the institute is to professionalize the travel, leisure, hospitality and the tourism sector. The 'Act' empowers NIHOTOUR to regulate and standardize the sector practitioners and service personnel. As coordinator of the Hospitality and Tourism sector skills council, all establishments in the sector must have at least 60-70% travel hospitality and tourism qualifications and license for recognition and permission to operate. NIHOTOUR will verify and certify all qualifications for stakeholders to recruit or employ. 

"Hence NIHOTOUR will ensure that only trained, qualified and licenced professionals are allowed into service delivery sector. This will raise service standards, reduce costs, open up job opportunities for mass graduates of the sector rejected by employers, dignity of labour will appreciate as employees are short changed on salaries, wages and service charges."