Members of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) at the weekend embarked on a 3-day fam trip to Ilaji Hotels and Sports Resort in Ibadan to inspect the facilities and considered the possibilities of establishing a mutually beneficial relationship with the resort’s management.
Located in Akanran Ona Ara Local Government Area of Oyo State, Ilaji Resort is a potential destination for tourists as it is a combination of Entertainment, Sports and Tourism Hospitality.
The three-day trip, which began on Friday started with a meeting with the Chief Operating Officer of the Resport, Prince Adeshina Araoye, who intimated the team about the resort and the plans to make it the best in Africa and their readiness to collaborate with NANTA to promote domestic tourism in Oyo State.
Araoye said “Ilaji is evolving day by day. It will be the first hospitality outfit to have an artificial beach. We are also set to have an exotic beach hotel for celebrities and prominent personalities in society. Already, we have outposts for those who want to stay as a family in the city, such as Bodija. And we are working with tourism experts to promote the historical places around Ilaji hotels.
“Ilaji will fully evolve. And the community will enjoy it,” He said.
On the security network in the resort’s environment, Engr Sanusi said “We have a police post and also quite some security outfits here. We don’t just secure our environment, we are a stakeholder in the security of Ona Ara Local Government. It is on record that during the #EndSars protests, there was no security breakdown in this local government. We have invested, and still investing in the security of this environment and the local government at large.”
In their responses. The National treasurer of the Association, Dr Olatunko Dagunduro and Western zone Vice President, Pastor Hezekiah Afolabi
commended Engr (Chief) Dotun Sanusi for erecting the hotels and sports resort in Ibadan.
Dagunduro hinted that the firm trip was to intensify the association’s efforts at promoting domestic tourism in the Southwestern part of Nigeria, making the resort a launchpad.
“The ravaging COVID-19 pandemic has further underscored the need for tourism and travel practitioners and promoters to look inwards and invest more in the promotion of domestic tourism.
“Meanwhile, we must have a firsthand experience of the good tourism and hospitality assets in Nigeria for us to properly promote and sell them. That’s why we are here in Ilaji Hotels and Sports Resorts, which is an embodiment of Tourism and Hospitality,” Dagunduro said
On the Second Day, the NANTA Team engages in body fitness exercises with some of the sporting facilities of the report after which they embark on a tour of the entire facilities from the sports facilities to the
Engages in Interactive session with the Chairman, Engineer Dotun Sanusi who explained that the rationale behind the establishment of Ilaji Hotels & Resort was not to make huge financial gains but to touch lives and develop society.
“My coming to this area is to give back to society. I wanted to invest in the most backward Local Government Area but with a lot of history in Oyo State which I found Ona Ara Local Government to be one, hence the establishment of Ilaji Hotels & Sports Resort here. One acre of land was N30,000 when this resort was birth here, today, a plot of land is N450,000. Also, Ona Ara Local Government is known to be notorious, but today the most it has become the most peaceful Local Government Area in the State.”
Engr Sanusi, who noted that Nigeria is full of opportunities, lamented that “we don’t have leaders that can coordinate the exploration of the opportunities and take us to the promised land.”
He added that it’s possible to transform Nigeria if individuals can patriotically contribute their quoters. Individuals and collective efforts can take Nigeria to the promised land.
Engr Sanusi then charged the government to create an enabling environment for business to thrive in the country.
The Ilaji Hotels and Resort boss then disclosed his readiness to work with the Western Zone the NANTA to improve a lot of the Tourism industry in Oyo State.
The former Vice President and National Treasurer of the association, Dr Olatokunbo Dagunduro, while corroborating Sanusi on government role harps on the need for the Nigerian government to give the Tourism industry in the country, more attention
He noted that the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need for more attention on the development and promotion of domestic tourism, in the country.
“Unlike oil, tourism is sustainable. And the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need for both the government and tourism and hospitality promoters to focus more on the exploration of the domestic tourism potentialities and assets in the country.
“Tourism and hospitality promoters cannot do this alone. Government has a huge role to play. The government need to provide an enabling environment for tourism to thrive in the country. Poor infrastructure facilities in the country and double taxation are choking the industry.”
Dr Dagunduro added that “Tourism investors are associations are doing so much to improve the lots of the industry, but there is a limit to what they can do. Government has a lot to do to make the country stand tall in the comity of tourism nations in the world.”
The National Treasurer of NANTA, who disclosed the readiness of the association to synergise with the management of Ilaji Hotels and Sports Resort to market the destination within Nigeria, Africa and the world at large, commended resorts chairman, Engr (Chief) Dotun Sanusi for the initiative.
“Ilaji Hotels & Sports Resort is simply unique. We hope this initiative will surpass generations. With this initiative, we have found the solace that there is hope for tourism in the country. No doubt, Engr Sanusi has metamorphosed himself into an established stakeholder in tourism. The Ilaji Resort shows his zeal and passion to promote tourism in Nigeria,” Dr Dagunduro said
Some of the NANTA members who participated in the trip commended the leadership of the Association for opening another channel of businesses and economic development in the Industry and urged them not to relent in their effort in taking the association to greater heights.
