One of the leading travel agencies in Nigeria, Absolute Success Travels and Tours (UFitFly) has celebrated its 14th year anniversary by giving out cars (Siena and Toyota Camry) to clients.
The well attended thanksgiving event also witnessed lots of clients all over the country who went home with different kinds of consolation prices like freezers, plasma television sets, generating sets, air conditioners, cooking gas and lots more.
The epoch making event was held at Mauve 21 Event Centre located at Ade-Oyo Area, Ring-Road, Ibadan.
The Chief Executive Officer of the travel agency, Evangelist Ajibola Ogunkeyede, disclosed that the anniversary/thanksgiving was to appreciate clients and partners of the company for their support over the years.
Evg Ogunkeyede also added that the avenue was also to showcase the company’s 2020 destinations to clients to enable them have information about the offers the company has for them in the year 2020.
He said that the year 2019 was a great and fantastic year in the history of the company, as the company was able to add about eight to its destinations, which earned it a title of Destination Management Company (DMC), instead of travel agency.
Speaking about the company’s plans for its clients, Ogunkeyede maintained that the company has designed about 30 destinations for the year 2020 to prove to the world that UFitFly is one of the agencies in Nigeria that people can rely on.
He stated that the focus of the company is to be in the first three travel agencies in the whole of Africa.
On his position on how Nigeria is fairing in the global tourism, the UFitFly boss disclosed that Nigeria has a long way to go as far as global tourism is concerned.
According to him, “In global tourism, there is nothing called Nigeria. Recently, I came back from England where I attended World Travel Market (WTM) Conference, Ghana was there, Uganda was there but Nigeria had no stand at the conference. This is a world renowned conference, where people come around to sell their countries to investors. Very soon many hotels in the hospitality industry in Nigeria will die because they rely solely on indigenes of their country to survive, there is need for investors to come in, if there are tourists centres, they will attract investors and visitors and the country will benefit.”
He established that if the Federal Government of Nigeria can revive the moribund Nigerian Airways, provide aircrafts and allow it to be managed by private investors, things will be better.
The representative of Oyo’s Governor Seyi Makinde, who is also the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism in the state, Dr. Wasiu Olatunbosun in his speech revealed that the state governor is working all days to ensure that the state is conducive for businesses to thrive by providing adequate security and enabling environment.
He noted that the tourism sector is another area apart from agriculture where the government can drive the economy.
The commissioner stated that Governor Seyi Makinde has identified various tourism centres in the state and has directed the ministry to source for investors due to the capital intensive nature of the sector, which government cannot shoulder all alone.
Dr. Olatunbosun pointed out that efforts are in progress to develop Eleyele Water Front, Bowers Towers, and Ado-Awaye Suspended Lake as many investors have signified intentions to partner with the government to make them tourist centres.
Dr. Olatunbosun commended the CEO of UFitFly as he expressed the readiness of the state government to work together with him to improve the tourism sector.
The high point of the event was when Mr. Akande Blessing and Mrs. Olaide Adewale emerged winners of Toyota Camry and Siena cars respectively in the raffle draw organized by UFitFly to commemorate its 14th anniversary.
Some of the winners of consolation prices included Olawale Ayeni, Grace Arowosayo, Olawale Olagbaju, Samson Adeyinka and Adebanjo Olalekan.
The Oyo State Coordinator of the National Lottery Regulation Commission, Mr. Fasurami Omotayo, while speaking on the assessment of the raffle draw, said that the draw was transparent and that there was accountability to the satisfaction of all participants.
He charged the company to maintain the standard with focus to go beyond this level during future events.
Other dignitaries in attendance included the representative of the Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Saliu Adetunji, Mr. Adeola Oloko, Pastor (Mrs) Funke Adetuberu, ace presenters, Kola Olotu, Yemi Sonde, Titilayo Akinsola, Seun Awodele and Publisher, Parrot Xtra Magazine, Olayinka Agboola among others.
Packaged by Kunle Gazali
