SON Stresses Standardisation As Critical To Nigerian Tourism Industry

The Director General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Mallam Farouk Salim, has said Standardization and Quality Assurance are very critical to the growth and development of the Nigerian tourism industry.

Further, he urged practitioners in the hospitality and tourism industry to endeavor to participate in national and international standardization to develop hospitality products and services that meet with current taste and preferences of the stakeholders in the industry.

Mallam Salim made this known recently when he was the lead paper presenter at the 16th International Conference of the Hospitality and Tourism Management Association of Nigeria (HATMAN) in Abuja.

Delivering a paper titled “Quality Assurance: The Hallmark for Viable Hospitality and Tourism Enterprises”, the Director General and SON’s Chief Executive Officer, identified tourism as one of the fastest growing industries in the world and the backbone of every country’s economy.

Salim, who was represented by the Director, Management Systems Certification, Engr, Felix.T. Nyado, explained that because the tourism industry is products and service oriented, service quality is key to success and competitive advantage for the industry.

He informed participants at the event that SON has made available forty – four published International Standards for the tourism sector and that Nigeria is registered as a participating member of ISO/TC 228 (Tourism and Related Services).

According to a statement by Mrs. Foluso Bolaji, SON’s Director, Public Relations, the Director General explained that SON engages stakeholders in the sector on standards elaborations and called for more involvement from stakeholders in the sector.

He further enjoined stakeholders in the industry to comply with standards and quality assurance activities in order to meet with the expectations of their customers and deliver satisfactory values that will improve on their business profitability and enhance competitiveness.

He noted the challenges witness in the Tourism sector having pulled out from the effects of the Covid outbreak to poor infrastructures such as epileptic power supply and high cost of diesel, Bad Road networks, Poor quality water and low exchange rates which makes the industry struggle to meet its expectations alongside its Counterparts across the globe.

The SON’s helmsman called on practitioners in the industry to use their credible social media platforms to collaborate with SON to further explore and promote Nigeria’s tourism potentials to the rest of the world and make the nation a top priority for tourists.