Daily Trust - the online edition

Today, Food Culinary Tourism has assumed a global dimension. It has become a new niche in Tourism constituting an indispensable consequence in Travel and Destination Marketing. Food Tourism is the role of food in tourism and tourism in food. The concept explicitly connects food to tourism and tourism to food and both can be rural and urban. Local food has become the number one motivating factor in choosing a tourism destination. Dinning and wining are vital components of the tourism experience and increasingly being seen as prime travel motivator. Every tourist/visitor eats at least twice a day. Dinning has become one of the top three favourite activities of tourists and visitors and dining experience has the greatest potential of making lasting impression on a place.

Research by the World Travel Market in the United Kingdom in 2005 with 2,000 people, revealed that about 53% ranked eating traditional dishes as very important and 86% foreign holiday makers agreed they enjoyed local foods when abroad. Developed economies especially America, France, Britain have offered Culinary Tourism to millions of tourists/visitors coming to their countries by omission or commission and have increased their bottom lines as private business and improved their GDP as nations. Other countries especially the emerging super powers, Japan, China, Korea and even developing economies in the UAE have taken the concept of Culinary Tourism seriously and are reaping mammoth financial benefits from it.

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration as a national unifying center, is taking the bull by the horn and walking in the direction of reality and opportunity this multi-million dollar sector is offering. Consequently, Nigeria will again be on the road map of history as the Federal Capital City, that will be participating in the first Nigerian International Food Fair between 1st and 2nd May, 2008 at the Arts and Crafts Village beside Yar’adua Centre.

While the FCT Administration is providing the enabling environment under the Public-Private-Partnership arrangement, the organizer ‘African Pot,’ has taken the challenge to awaken Nigeria and Nigerians to the massive potentials and opportunities that abound in Culinary Tourism and how we can best prepare to take advantage of it both as a viable small and medium scale enterprise and as a tool to increase overall tourism rating in the FCT in particular and Nigeria as a whole. This food fair will draw a pool of stakeholders and policy makers locally and internationally in the tourism industry.

The significance of the food fair will be enormous to the FCT and for our nation building. Food has become recognised as being expressive of identity and culture, an important component of cultural and heritage tourism. Food tourism showcases local treasures and the people who create them, benefits farmers, producers, tourism providers as well as the consumers and provides an opportunity for economic and community development. The nation’s cultural diversity is very much reflected in the great array and variety of local foods it has to offer and Nigerians are quite passionate about their foods and they love eating food. Through culinary practice, tourists/visitors are provided the opportunity to capture the true essence of the culture of the country and its people.

Like never before, holiday makers are choosing where to go by what they can put into their stomach. It seems obvious that food is something an increasing number of tourists/visitors often remember from their travel experiences. Today, holiday makers want a hands-on experience and food is a manifestation of a destination’s culture. Culinary tourism provides fun, enjoyment and education for the people, promote products and traditional dishes development.

The Nigerian International Food Fair (NIFF) which will be an annual event, is hoped will galvanise the Culinary Tourism stakeholders and put a framework in place that will help grow the Culinary Tourism sector. The national appreciation and patronage of cultural cuisine in Nigeria first by Nigerians and making it appeal to our tourists/visitors remains a daunting challenge.

As Abuja Tourism Development Board (ATDB) is matching towards developing, marketing and promoting Abuja as an enviable Emerging Tourism Destination in the global market, the FCT Administration’s unalloyed support for the annual NIFF has come to stay. The FCT Administration and Nigeria as a whole stands to gain from this National Food Tourism Fair.

Abdullahi M. Idris is the Director, Abuja Tourism Development Board.