Nigerian Tribune Tourism Editor and serial-award winner, Mr Wale Olapade, has been specially honoured with the National Tourism Transport Summit Award with the Outstanding Tourism Advocate Award, billed to take place in Abuja on December 4, 2024.
This was contained in a letter signed by the Chairman-Interministerial Committee-NTT Summit 2024 and National President, Institute for Tourism Professionals, Chief Abiodun Odusanwo, Ref: ITPN/NTTS-A/24/NTAD/03, dated November 25, 2024.
The letter reads, “On behalf of the Steering and Selection Committee of the 7th National Tourism Transportation Summit Awards, it gives me great pleasure to inform you that you have been chosen for the 2024 National Tourism Transportation Summit ‘Outstanding Tourism Advocate Award.’ Congratulations!”
It added: “The Steering and Selection Committee carefully considered your nomination and final selection among others in the industry. You have been chosen based on your achievements and demonstration of high levels of excellence and standards in the travel, tourism, transportation, and hospitality sectors of the Nigerian economy.
The award was created over six years ago as the crowning and concluding event of the National Tourism Transportation Summit and Expo, celebrating the achievements of organisations and individuals within the industry and related sectors.
The occasion also provides a platform for stakeholders, key players, and the entire value chain of the tourism and transportation industries to unwind, relax, and network after the two-day summit of discussions and exhibitions.
Recently, Wale Olapade was one of the five industry tourism editors selected nationwide for the first Fatima Garbati Foundation special grant for journalists category.
The widely travelled international and domestic responsible tourism advocate, through his specialised Travelpulse and MICE column, has won numerous tourism accolades, which include the Award of Excellence: Youth Tourism Club of Nigeria, University of Ibadan-2009; Travellinks Merit Award: Travellinks International Tourism Magazine-2013; Adamu Mu’azu Prize for Tourism Reporter-Winner Nigerian Media Merit Award (NMMA)-2014; MICE Journalist of the Year Nigeria-2017-ATQ Magazine; Outstanding Leadership Award in Youth Tourism Promotion-StayUp Aviation-2017; and MICE Journalist of the Year West Africa-2018-ATQ-Magazine.
Others are induction into pioneer club of Top 100 Tourism Personalities in Nigeria, Abuja Jabamah 2018; Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Travels and Tour Management-2018-Stayup Aviation; Best Tourism Journalist-Nigeria Tourism Awards (BALEARICA Awards 2020); Nominee Travel Reporter of the Year Jumia Travel Award-2018; Cross River State Media Personality Award of Carnival Calabar -2021; Inducted into NANTA Media Hall of Fame for contributing to travel Industry in Nigeria in 2021 and Best NANTA Travel Print Media Awardee 2021.
