The president of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies, NANTA, Mr.Bankole Bernard has re-emphasised his commitment to repackage and reposition NANTA as a professional Association with dignity.
Speaking during a breakfast meeting with travel journalists at the NANTA secretariat in Lagos, Bankole stated that one of his priorities as the president of the body is to get their members to be treated like professionals, with respect.
He said that was what informed his decision to embark on courtesy visits to the International Air Transport Association, IATA in Lagos, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, the permanent secretary Federal Ministry of Transport and other relevant agencies when he took over the helms of affairs of the body,
He noted that it has become imperative to change the old perception of NANTA by repositioning it as a professional body of repute that deserved to be respected by everybody.
Bankole said the travel agencies are vital and cannot be easily dispensed with, adding that this informed his decision to get the public to know the relevance of NANTA.
To achieve this, he explained that a mechanism has been set in motion to train the members, to set standard, so as to ensure that their members are not treated like touts.
Bankole disclosed that to properly showcase NANTA to the world, he has renewed the body’s relationship with the Universal Federation of Travel Agents Association (UFTAA), noting that based on this, NANTA has been invited to Madrid by the body.
“To properly showcase NANTA to the world, the body has renewed its relationship with UFTAA. Based on our renewed relationship, UFTAA has invited us to Madrid. All these are aimed at repositioning NANTA,” he said.
He disclosed further that in order to make the Association more effective, five zones have been created like the Lagos zone, Abuja zone, Western zone, eastern zone and the northern zone with powers given to them to create chapters, adding that in this way the national body will become a force to be reckoned with.
He stressed that even the airlines are not supposed to be operating city offices because NANTA and their members are there to sell tickets to the passengers and not the airlines.
In his words: “This is even the practice in most places because airline offices supposed to be within the airports, while the travel agencies will be the ones operating city offices and to sell tickets to the passengers”.
