By Sani Idris Abdulrahman
The Head of Department (HOD) of Tourism Management Technology, Kaduna Polytechnic, Dr Maryam Abdullahi, says tourism graduates have a bright future amid growing industry opportunities.
Abdullahi stated this on Wednesday in Kaduna during the World Tourism Day celebration organised by the department in collaboration with the Career Services Centre of the Polytechnic.
The event, themed “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Skills for the Future of Tourism Development in Nigeria,” focused on emerging opportunities.
She said tourism was a multi-sectoral industry covering hospitality, catering, transportation, travel agencies, airlines, ministries, tourism institutions, hotels and related establishments.
According to her, trained personnel are required to manage these establishments and contribute effectively to tourism development in Nigeria.
“Thus, there is a very bright future for graduates of tourism,” she said.
Abdullahi said the department was designed to develop students’ skills and provide training for careers in tourism and related fields.
She said the increasing demand for leisure and travel had created the need for highly skilled human resources to address challenges confronting the industry.
The HOD said the theme was particularly relevant as technology and artificial intelligence continued to reshape how people discover, plan and experience travel.
She said the programme was aimed at engaging students, industry stakeholders and the public on how digital tools and artificial intelligence were transforming tourism.
Abdullahi said World Tourism Day provided an opportunity to raise awareness about social and cultural connections, preserve heritage and encourage communities to protect their traditions.
She urged participants to use the platform to exchange ideas, learn from one another and strengthen commitment to sustainable digital tourism practices.
The Rector of Kaduna Polytechnic, Dr Sulaiman Umar, represented by the Deputy Rector, Academics, Dr Aliyu Usman, said tourism could become a major component of Nigeria’s economy.
Usman said about 30 countries globally relied substantially on tourism for their economies, adding that Nigeria possessed similar potentials that could support tourism development.
He said the institution’s management recognised the importance of tourism and would continue to support efforts aimed at developing the sector.
Presenting a paper titled “Tourism Skills and Artificial Intelligence as Career Pathways to Development,” Ayodele Arokoyo, National President, Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria, said tourism was undergoing rapid transformation.
Arokoyo said modern travellers searched, compared, booked, paid, communicated, reviewed and shared experiences through digital platforms.
He said hotels, airlines, travel agencies, tour operators and destination managers increasingly depended on digital systems, data and artificial intelligence.
According to him, tourism students must graduate with competence, adaptability, creativity, entrepreneurial capacity and technological confidence to remain relevant in the changing industry.
Arokoyo said artificial intelligence could assist tourism businesses with customer service, personalised recommendations, content creation, language translation, forecasting and informed decision-making.
He, however, stressed that AI-generated information must be verified for accuracy, while personal information and cultural representations must be handled responsibly.
The tourism practitioner said students could use AI to conduct destination research, develop itineraries, analyse customer reviews, create marketing strategies and develop tourism business plans.
He said the convergence of tourism and AI was creating career opportunities in digital travel consultancy, tourism data analysis, destination marketing, travel technology and smart tourism.
Arokoyo also identified opportunities in digital heritage interpretation, virtual tourism, tourism content creation, travel technology, hospitality technology and tourism entrepreneurship.
He urged tourism students to combine traditional professional skills with digital literacy, artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, communication, creativity, critical thinking and adaptability.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ibrahim Bamalli, the Madakin Gonan Zazzau, was honoured at the event as Heritage and Cultural Ambassador of the Department of Tourism Management Technology, Kaduna Polytechnic.
Titi Abubakar, wife of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, received an Award of Excellence at the occasion.
Titi Abubakar is an alumna and former lecturer of the Department of Tourism Management Technology in the Polytechnic.(NAN)
Edited by Yakubu Uba