We must secure future of African travel, hospitality, says practitioner
There is a need to secure the future of African travel and tourism by empowering the next generation, a practitioner, Dr. Iyadunni Gbadebo, has said. To achieve that, youth must
There is a need to secure the future of African travel and tourism by empowering the next generation, a practitioner, Dr. Iyadunni Gbadebo, has said.
To achieve that, youth must be actively involved in shaping the industry's future, she said.
Gbadebo, Director of Sales and Marketing at Eko Hotels & Suites, spoke at a briefing on the hotel’s 50th anniversary Legacy Summit.
“We think it’s important that if we have been so intentional about what these 50 years have bestowed upon Africa, that it is an opportunity to get the next generation of people who are the custodians of Africa's future in travel, hospitality and tourism,” she said.
She said the hotel places strong emphasis on developing future industry leaders as part of its anniversary, with a focus on equipping young Africans to shape the continent’s hospitality sector.
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Gbadebo said the symposium, scheduled for May 15 and 16 as part of the hotel’s golden jubilee activities in Lagos, will bring together students, entrepreneurs, tourism stakeholders and global voices to discuss how Africa can build a more self-driven and connected hospitality industry.
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She noted that the initiative is designed to move beyond celebration toward long-term impact.
“The symposium has three main objectives. First of all, of course, is commemorating and celebrating Eko Hotel’s five decades,” she said.
Gbadebo explained that the summit also reflects the hotel’s evolution from an internationally affiliated brand into a leading indigenous institution.
“We have gone from Èkó Holiday Inn to Le Méridien and remained Eko Hotels about 25 years ago,” she stated, adding that its continued relevance is rooted in a deliberate focus on service and experience.
Highlighting its broader significance, she described the hotel as a central meeting point across different segments of society and global leadership.
“There’s no Head of State that has come into Lagos that Eko Hotels wasn’t a stop point for them,” she said.
A key pillar of the summit, according to Gbadebo, is youth inclusion through dedicated programmes and competitions aimed at students and young entrepreneurs across Africa.
She said the goal is to actively involve them in shaping the industry's future.
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"We want to sit in a room with them and have them reimagine what the next 50 years can be, discuss it, build it and ferment it and hand that future over to them, and that’s why we’re doing the students' competition where we’re getting students from across Africa, students and young entrepreneurs.
"We also want to use this as an opportunity to open the eyes of local hostels across Africa and the Caribbean and see how we can be intentional about connecting the dots with travel,” she added.
She further stressed that the initiative is intended to encourage African-led solutions in hospitality, rather than relying on external models.
The summit, she said, will provide a platform for participants to rethink how African destinations can be packaged and connected to boost tourism flows within the continent.
Gbadebo also pointed to the need for stronger travel integration, noting that fragmented connectivity continues to limit movement across African destinations.
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She called for more coordinated efforts among airlines, hotels and tourism operators to unlock opportunities.
“That’s how Africa needs to be intentional about connecting it,” she said.
The summit will feature a mix of industry players, policymakers and speakers drawn from across Africa and the diaspora, with discussions expected to centre on ownership of Africa’s tourism narrative and strategies for sustainable growth.
“We are taking responsibility for Africa’s narrative. We’re telling our own story and presenting that story the way we want it to be presented to the world,” Gbadebo said, underscoring the broader ambition of the gathering.
The summit, according to Gbadebo, will also include youth-focused programmes and competitions for students and young entrepreneurs across Africa.
She said the gathering will bring together stakeholders across the tourism value chain, including curators, travel agents, tour operators and community-based tourism curators, alongside other industry participants expected to contribute to discussions on how Africa’s hospitality and travel ecosystem can be better structured and connected.
