The adoption of good standards and efficient service delivery in Nigeria’s burgeoning hospitality industry is necessary to further drive investment into the sub-sector, Leke Olufade, chief executive officer, Total Business Solutions (TBS) Consulting Limited, has said.
Speaking with BusinessDay in an interview, weekend, Olufade pointed out that hospitality and tourism sector was indeed critical in Nigeria’s quest to meet its target of becoming one of the top 20 leading economies by the year 2020.
The Nigerian hospitality sector, according to him, remains an all-comers affair without adequate regulatory framework. Stakeholders have often argued that grading and classification of hotels cannot be imposed but done in line with universally accepted standards.
In view of this, he said the consulting firm is setting up an annual event to discuss the prevalent issues in the hospitality industry.
“We have identified some critical issues in the industry. We will be talking about standardising the hotel structure. In other climes, there are two, three, four and five star hotels. So, you know what to expect there and you know what the price will be. In Nigeria, we are still struggling with standardisation. There is also the issue of funding and poor customer service”, Olufade said.
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He noted that the spate of insecurity was another drawback limiting the development of the hospitality industry.
“The Hotel 20:20 on Tourism and Hospitality conference will address some of these issues and enlighten people by helping them see the linkage between tourism and hospitality.”
The conference holds from May 23 to 24.
Olufade said the conference is targeted at investors, corporate entities and the public sector. With the opening of at least one hotel every other month, influx of international hotel brands, and high employment capacity, he said the hospitality industry is very profitable, adding that there is a need to create the enabling environment for the industry to thrive.
“There is a growing expatriate and Diaspora population. These people need a home away from home”. Olufade, however, said there was need for financial services companies to structure financing to suite the specific needs of the hospitality industry.
