Argungu Fishing Festival kicks off tomorrow
Global tourism fiesta holds in Berlin
By Andrew Iro Okungbowa

IT is double celebrations for the country tomorrow as Nigerian tourism and cultural heritage take centre stage on both local and international fronts.




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On the local front, the 2009 Argungu International Fishing Festival opens at Argungu, Kebbi State, with thousands of both local and international visitors expected at the event, which would end on Saturday.

And in Berlin, Germany, Nigeria will join over 180 countries to line up at the Messedamn Berlin where this year's edition of the ITB Berlin will start off. It will end on Sunday.

The ITB Berlin is one of the world's leading travel and tourism exhibitions where countries, travel and tourism experts, operators, stakeholders, tourism administrators, buyers, visitors and national bodies meet yearly to showcase the richness of their tourism services and products. They will also discuss new trends and developments in the industry.

This year's event is expected to attract higher interest as a result of the global economic meltdown, which many people fear would affect the tourism industry this year and beyond.

The world tourism organisation, UNWTO, a United Nations (UN) agency in charge of global tourism, is expected to lead discussions at the Berlin fiesta with support from other global agencies.

The UNWTO had predicted over 2.2 per cent annual growth for the sector, which had recorded successive growth in the last five years. Over 900 million international tourist arrivals were recorded last year.

The country's team of both public and private operators is being led by the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), whose Director General, Segun Runsewe, heads the delegation.

Runsewe is expected to address the media at the event where he would speak on developments in the Nigerian tourism industry in the last one year.

As part of its marketing and promotion efforts at the five-day fair, NTDC will host "Nigerian Day" during which participants and visitors will call at Nigeria's stand to taste and savour its cultural bouquets.

Besides varied presentations by countries and exhibiting companies, this year's ITB will feature such events as ITB Future Day, ITB Hospitality Day, ITB Aviation Day, ITB Destination Day, ITB Tourism and Culture Day, ITB Corporate Social Responsibility Day and ITB Travel Business Day.

Last year, over 11,147 exhibitors attended the fair with 8,540 as foreign exhibitors and 2, 607 German exhibitors. The visitors' figure was put at 177, 891.

The entire Kebbi State is already in celebration mood with high expectations on the part of the people who are set to witness the four-day cultural re-enactment of their age-long tradition.

Governor Sa'idu Usman Dankingari said all was set for the yearly celebration to kick off tomorrow with a number of dignitaries from government and the private sector expected to attend.

President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua is expected at the grand fishing event slated for Saturday.

Other activities billed for the communal fiesta, include a motor rally, agricultural show and trade fair, fish fair, traditional wrestling and boxing, horse, donkey and bicycle races as well as a durbar.

There is also the Kabanchi, which is a display of different water-related activities by the local people.

One of my friends during service and President of Sokoto NYSC Press club, Lukmon Busari and Sokoto NYSC PRO, Haruna Abubakar, also a person I was closed to, died in an autocrash along Sokoto-Argungu road this time last year(March 15 precisely) while coming back to Sokoto from Argungu, where they had gone to cover the festival.

I'm sorry to hear that. Life is full of surprises. Accept my condolences.