By Joan Odafe

Hospitality and tourism experts have called for a stronger collaboration between academic institutions and industry practitioners to prepare young Nigerians for meaningful careers in the sector.

The experts made the call during a panel session at a summit for students in hospitality and tourism on Friday in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event, ‘Hospitality and Business Summit (HBS) 2025’, was organised by Tourism and Hospitality Mentorship for Development (TMD) Brand, in collaboration with Eko Hotels and Suites.

The event had the theme, ‘Wonders of Today, Leaders of Tomorrow: Positioning for Global Impact – The Role of Youth in the Industrial Revolution’.

The panelists called on academic institutions to urgently reform internship structures and student engagement strategies to bridge the widening gap between classroom theory and practical realities.

The Managing Director of Eko Hotels and Suites, Mr Ghassan Faddoul, said the most urgent shift needed to prepare young people for the hospitality sector was to bridge the gap between academics and the practical.

Faddoul said schools had to make their internship programme compulsory every year, from year one for every student, so they could undergo hands-on training.

“We don’t take it lightly here because we don’t just do trainings. We do training and development.

“When we train someone, we train for him or her to do the job better but when we develop our employees and interns, we develop them to become a better person, a better manager, a better employee,” he said.

Rita Opiah, General Manager, Radisson Hotel Group, said in addition to the compulsory annual internship, there was need for accountability on the part of the institutions, through enforcement of the training.

Opiah urged leaders of tourism and hospitality institutions to be more intentional, by ensuring that the students are present for the exact duration planned for.

“You have to come onsite and ensure a task force that will also talk with the industry leaders, to monitor them and see what they are doing, and also hear our feedback,” she said.

Opiah also called for collaboration among stakeholders, noting that the tourism and hospitality industry had a lot of career opportunities including travels, event management, tour operators, resort management, marketing destination tourism and travel events.

Yvonne Joseph, a hospitality career mentor and advisor, however, said that youth disinterest in hospitality was a major concern, with many of the mindset that the sector was boring.

Joseph said: “They want to express their creative side in their businesses.

“Even if they are working in the front desk or doing their internship in the front desk, they want to see how they can make it more fun.”

She urged industry leaders, that by giving students and interns room to share ideas, they were helping to close gaps in the industry.

She added that their suggestions could also impact meaningfully on their businesses.

In response, Susan Akporiaye,former president of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA), said apart from hotels, there were vast opportunities in travel and tourism.

Akporiaye cautioned the students against the notion that because they were in the digital age, they had nothing to learn from the older players in the industry.

She urged them to blend the age of humanity and technology, as well as improve on skills that would ensure they are employable in the industry.

The Director of Sales and Marketing of Eko Hotels and Suites, Dr Iyadunni Gbadebo, urged the students to explore ways in ensuring that content creation is seen as a serious role within the industry.

Gbadebo urged stakeholders in travel, tourism and hospitality to collaborate to sell ‘Destination Nigeria’ for national growth.

Also, the General Manager of Eko Hotels and Suites, Mr Danny Kioupouroglou, emphasised the need for training, hard work and focus as important factors that would make the students best leaders in the industry.

Citing examples of his growth in the industry, Kioupouroglou told the students that he started off at the lowest level, took up difficult roles, made mistakes before he eventually got to his present position.

“Leadership isn’t about showing off. It’s about showing up; before you can lead, you have to serve,” he said.

In his remarks, the South-West Regional Coordinator of TMD Brand, Temitope Sadiq, said the summit was aimed at exposing students in tourism, hospitality and transportation to veterans in the industry, so they could gain more insight and leverage their experience.

NAN reports that no fewer than 2,000 students from various schools across the nation attended the programme. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Folasade Adeniran