The Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria (ATPN), once a dormant player in the country’s travel and hospitality sector, is reawakening after more than two decades of silence.
Speaking at a breakfast hangout with the Association of Nigerian Journalists and Writers of Tourism (ANJET), ATPN President Prince Femi Fadina unveiled a revival vision anchored on restructuring, compliance, and capacity building to restore the association’s relevance.
Elected on November 19, 2024, Fadina acknowledged the enormity of the task, likening ATPN to a rusted pipeline that must be carefully oiled for ideas and initiatives to flow again.
Registered in 1992, ATPN slipped into a “comatose” state for nearly 28 years, leaving many practitioners without a collective voice.
Outlining his Three Pillars of Revival strategy, Fadina stressed:Organic Membership Growth: ensuring practitioners contribute their talents and capacity to strengthen the body.
Capacity Building: equipping members with knowledge, skills, and training relevant to domestic and global tourism practice.
Corporate Sponsorship and Structural Compliance: streamlining internal processes, enforcing dues payment, and attracting partnerships to sustain the association financially.
“Membership must mean value, you cannot be part of the association without compliance. Payment is membership, and compliance is non-negotiable,” he emphasized.
While acknowledging internal challenges, he described ATPN as a “family” working through disputes, guided by transparency, accountability, and constitutional principles.
“I believe in consistency. Whoever is going to work with me must be accountable,” he said.
Fadina noted that chapters are already springing up, citing the Abuja chapter, which recorded 100% dues compliance at its inauguration last week, a sign of the new direction.
On ATPN’s role in Nigeria’s tourism economy, he called it the true voice of practitioners from travel agents, tour operators, hoteliers, and airlines to cultural custodians and students seeking certification.
He stressed the importance of including traditional institutions, which embody Nigeria’s cultural heritage.
For Fadina, the term “practitioner” covers even grassroots workers.
He recalled visiting a hotel in Abuja where a young receptionist slept on the floor, describing her as a practitioner deserving protection and advocacy.
“Those are the kinds of people I want to fight for, to ensure better welfare and service standards,” he declared.
Looking ahead, he outlined priorities for his tenure; compliance enforcement, structural development, onboarding of certified practitioners, and advocacy for member welfare.
Drawing from experiences in Gambia, Barbados, South Africa, and 15 years as Deputy President of the National Association of Tour Operators (NATOP), he expressed confidence in Nigeria’s tourism potential.
“What I saw in Gambia, with their small size of 1.6 million, showed me what structure can achieve.
If we put the same systems in place here in Nigeria with our capacity, we will go very far,” he said.
Although admitting ATPN currently has “very few paying members,” he assured stakeholders that within a year, the body would emerge stronger, restructured, and capable of protecting practitioners while influencing tourism policy.
In this sector, sustainability is non-negotiable.
We must bring up young people, mentor them, and hand over a system stronger than we met it.
By the special grace of God, this time next year, you will sing a new tune about ATPN,” he concluded.
Reporting by Chioma Ezike