Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The tourism, travel and aviation industry in Nigeria has received a major boost as Jands Travel Network, Enugu, launches a Travel/Tourism Business School in Enugu State within South-East.
The firm’s Managing Director, Mrs Chioma Obi, who has operated in the industry for over a decade, disclosed this to newsmen in a press conference on Thursday in Enugu.
Obi said that Jands Travel/Tourism Business School was established in Enugu to create awareness and instil knowledge of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry in the South-East with a view to boosting the economy of the region and Nigeria in general.
According to her, we chose to locate the school in Enugu because, asides the fact that I am from South-East, the organization is eager to contribute to the development and growth of the region and Nigeria economy.
Obi, who also doubles as the Director of Jands Travel/Tourism Business School, said: “I felt the need for our people to tap into the opportunities in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry.
“Secondly, I think that the South-West is saturated with schools like this. There are quite a number of aviation schools, but I know that the travel business has a lot more than aviation alone, which belongs to the transportation aspect of the travel business.
“The people in the South-East are the travelers. They are the importers, the exporters, the businessmen and women as well as the explorers.
“They travel to explore business opportunities, they come home during festivities and celebrations, they bring in goods from all over the world to sell in Nigeria and take our local goods to so many locations outside Nigeria.
“They contribute greatly to flight ticket sales. These are opportunities for people in the travel business to offer their services if they know how to do so, that is why we chose to locate Jands Travel Business School in South-East Nigeria.”
She noted that Nigeria do not have tourism and hospitality classes as a foundation in secondary schools like you have the sciences.
According to her, we do not have it in many Nigerian universities the way we have other courses, but in comparison with other countries, you find out that there are countries that thrive with the tourism sector.
“It makes up a very good part of their Gross Domestic Products (GDP) and gives them a lot of employment opportunities. We still have a long way to go when it comes to tapping into what the industry has to offer.
“But first, before we go into benefiting from the industry, our people should have the basic knowledge about what the travel, tourism and hospitality industry is about.
“How they can become a part of it, what they can do and how they can get themselves fully employed. That is where Jands Travel/Tourism Business School comes in,” she said.
On the programmes/courses offered in the School, Obi said that the good thing about the school is that you learn at your own pace and you don’t need to travel to Lagos, Abuja or any other region, because the school provides what entrepreneurs need here in the South-East.
She said that after getting trained, the school ensures that entrepreneurs are registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), National Association of Nigerian Traveling Agency (NANTA) as well as other industry associations as a part of the mentorship programme in order to guide their successful growth.
“So, it is a full blown inclusive learning platform for the Nigerian youth who wants to start a business.
“Some of the courses available are: the Travel Business Foundation Course, the Visa Applications and Procurement Masterclass, the Ticketing and Reservations, Customer Service Management and Retention, the Hotel Operations,
“Others are: the Tourism, Tour Packaging and Planning courses amongst others; while the duration of various courses lasts between three days and six weeks,” she said.
