Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
The federal government has scheduled the Ember to Remember National Stakeholders Conference for September 14 at Eko Hotel, Lagos.
Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa-Musawa, announced this yesterday in Abuja, while briefing the media on how tourism can be grown as an economic sector to deliberately position the country as an international destination.
She said the conference will bring together government, state tourism authorities, the private sector, financial institutions, airlines, hospitality leaders, event producers, creatives, technology companies, the media and other partners, whose participation is critical to building a stronger tourism economy.
Musawa said the unveiled National Ember to Remember Calendar will represent a coordinated national collection of festivals, concerts, cultural celebrations, conferences, destinations and tourism experiences across Nigeria.
The minister noted that the purpose of the conference is not merely to create another event calendar, but to build a national tourism infrastructure.
“Ember to Remember is Nigeria’s coordinated September-to-December tourism season, a 100-day national programme designed to connect culture, tourism, entertainment, hospitality, transportation, commerce and the creative economy. It is about moving beyond simply having events to deliberately building an economy around those experiences,” she said.
Musawa assured that Ember to Remember will provide a structure that will bring visibility and allow the marketing of the Nigerian experiences in form of food, music, fashion, heritage, hospitality, natural attractions and creative energy as one powerful national story.
The minister said the conference is not another gathering, but a working national conversation around how to translate Nigeria’s enormous tourism and cultural potential into measurable economic value.
“We want the conference to examine aviation, hospitality, transportation, digital infrastructure, investment, culture, events and the visitor experience,” she added.
Musawa lauded MTN Nigeria, for its part in taking the national calendar closer to millions of Nigerians via the MyCityApp digital gateway and Providus Bank, for recognising the role financial institutions can play in building the tourism, hospitality and creative economy.