New Telegraph Travel Editor, Okungbowa, wins Tourism Journalist Icon Award

*Four other travel editors on honour roll

*Runsewe to host awardees

The Travel and Tourism Editor of New Telegraph, Andrew Iro Okungbowa has been named the Tourism Journalist Icon Award winner under the auspices of the National Tourism Transportation Summit and Expo Award (NTTS/E).

He will be honoured alongside four other travel journalists at the forthcoming summit scheduled to hold at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. The others are: Frank Meke – print and broadcast journalist; Lucky George – Executive Director of African Travel Commission (ATC) and Publisher, Africa Travel Times; Okorie Uguru – Publisher, Africa Travel Herald; and Babatunde Jimoh – Travel Editor, Vanguard Newspaper.

In a formal letter to Okungbowa signed by Otunba Abiodun Odusanwo, who is the President of Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria (ITPN) and Chairman, Inter-ministerial Committee, NTTS 2024, the organisers of the event, he stated;

‘‘On behalf of the Steering and Selection Committee of the Seventh 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 ‘Tourism Journalists Icon Award.

‘‘Your nomination and final selection were carefully considered among others in the industry by the Steering and Selection Committee, upon which you have been chosen based on your achievements and demonstration of high level of excellence and standards in travel tourism transportation and hospitality sectors of the Nigerian economy.’’

It further noted, ‘‘the award was created over six years ago as the crowning and rounding up event of NTTS/E to celebrate achievements of the organisations and individuals within the industry and related sectors.

‘‘The occasion also provides the platform for the stakeholders, key players and the entire value chain of the tourism and transportation industries to unwind, relax and network after the two days summit of discussions and expositions.’’

The summit and expo holds between December 3 and 4, 2024 while the gala night and award ceremony holds on December 4, 2024.

Meanwhile, the former Director General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Segun Runsewe has congratulated the awardees for the honour and recognition even as he commended the organisers of NTTS/E for the award, which he said they truly deserved for their passion and commitment to the development and promotion of Nigerian tourism.

This is as Runsewe, who was a former DG of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) now known as Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA) disclosed plans to host the five awardees, their families and friends, to a grand reception in Abuja.

In a letter of congratulations he personally signed, Runsewe, who is also the President, Africa region for World Craft Council, and President, Nigeria Golf Federation, expressed his happiness at the special recognition, noting that it is more than ‘deserving.’

“I will support the award ceremony with a dedicated post award special dinner ceremony for you and your deserving colleagues in Abuja,’’ he wrote.

Adding, ‘‘This is a great opportunity to further let Nigerians and our foreign partners and friends know that you people matter to us in Nigerian culture and tourism space, and it will be a gathering and a night that will define how to appreciate and reward the hard work of the Nigerian cultural tourism press.’’

Profile

Born in Benin City, Edo State, Okungbowa holds a Master Degree from the prestigious University of Lagos, Akoka alongside other certifications in journalism and travel reporting.

Widely travelled across the country and the world, Okungbowa is an experienced journalist and travel reporter. He started his glorious journalism career as a freelancer with the defunct Daily Times Newspaper of Nigeria.

He later joined the defunct Republic Newspaper, Lagos. After over a year stint with the newspaper as Art and Culture Reporter, he moved over to The Guardian Newspaper as Senior Reporter in the stable of Guardian on Sunday, where he further honed his skill as a developmental and committed journalist and became one of the leading travel reporters in the country.

Okungbowa after about two decades with The Guardian joined the New Telegraph Newspaper, Lagos as one of the pioneering staff and Editor, Travel and Tourism. He also served as the News Editor, Saturday Telegraph. In addition to his role as Editor, Travel and Tourism, he doubles as the Features Editor of the New Telegraph.

He recently went on sabbatical to serve as the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the immediate past Governor of Edo State, Governor Godwin Obaseki.

Okungbowa is a member of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lagos Council; and Association of Nigeria Journalists and Writers of Tourism (ANJET). He has at various points served as Chairman of the ANJET, which is the only recognised and foremost association for travel and tourism journalists in Nigeria.

A multiple awardees on various platforms for his invaluable contributions to the development and promotion of Nigerian tourism, a duty that he is selflessly committed, he at a point served as the Secretary of the Caretaker Committee for the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN), where among others he spearheaded the transformation of the federation and conducted the election that birthed the ‘second generation’ of the National Executive Council of the federation, which is the umbrella body for tourism operators in the private sector.