A lot of people has question the fact that why tourism and not something else. They wondered why I love traveling to places I’ve never been before. The truth is that, when a man follows his passion, no one can distract or stop him. For me, passion is the drive. Passion is a strong desire for something. I have this so called strong desire for adventure. Strong one so to say.
As a little boy while growing up, I always had a love for adventure and discovering new places of which I can be on the road for hours. Also, I discovered that I love photography. Then in school, I would take my time and give my colleagues a very decent and beautiful phone pictures. I explored a lot with phone cams.
I found myself drawn to capturing the moments and memories that came with activities around me. I will snap anything I see around me and document them. So, how did I took the bold step to start my tourism career? You want to know right? It’s very simple.
As I’ve said earlier, passion is the drive for me. Then in 2019, I met with Mr Omotayo Sunday ( Initiator of Ibarapa Tourism Agenda ). He is a renowned tourism & hospitality coach and also, a notable figure in the Nigeria Tourism Industry.
I saw the agenda, I was part of the media team and the project was a success. He discovered that Ibarapa has what it takes to pull tourists to her environment. And the rest is history today. Ibarapa area is a region of Oyo State in Nigeria.
My passion for travel actually led me to start Olaniyan Travels ( a travel company which focuses on promoting the beauty of Nigeria and Africa ) few months after the success of Ibarapa Tourism Agenda. The mission is to discover, document and showcase tourism attractions and destinations that will inspire people to travel & explore.
Let me share one secret; travel adventures are sweeter to recap in old age than being involved at retirement age. The best time for one to travel is when one is young and one can tell lovely memories at old age. Covid 19 actually made me to venture into tourism.
How did I package my first tour? Who did I reach out to? I love nature. Nature is beautiful. Isn’t it beautiful when you climb to the top of a mountain and get to see the lovely views that comes with it. Inspiring people to explore God’s wonderful, amazing and beautiful nature is the mission for us.
Packaging my first tour was tough. I remember a book written by my Pastor, School of Life. I got to know that no matter how huge any task is or how big any dream is, all one need is a starting point. One should start from somewhere.
I did package my first tour to Ado Awaye Mountain and Suspended Lake. The second recognized suspended lake in the world after the one in Colorado ( America). Few friends of mine buy into it and we went. The tour turned out to be fun and educative. After the tour, I got some calls and I was asked when is the next tour? Wow!
I was intentional meeting with some notable figures in the Nigeria Tourism Industry and also, exchanging contacts as well. Tourism is wide I must say. Not only did it involve packaging tours, one must master the art of coordinating people and the likes.
Interestingly, I packaged a tour to Bowers Tower over & over again ( Ibadan in Oyo State ), Idere Hills ( Idere in Oyo State ) and also, to Ado Awaye again. All these within two months. And that’s how the journey started.
Our tours are carefully designed to showcase the best of what Nigeria has to offer. There’s always something for everyone. I’m proud to be part of Olaniyan Travels and I’m grateful for the support of our travel community.
The journey started and we hit the ground running in 2020. The journey hasn’t been smooth as we all expected but we thank God for sustaining us. We also thank our community.
Olaniyan Travels is more than just a travel company. It’s a community. We are passionate about creating memorable experiences that connects people together and also, cater for their unique interest.
I urge all of you to support us in achieving our goal of making Nigeria and Africa the number one preferred destination for all. Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or new to the travel world, we welcome you to join us on this adventure.
Thank you for taking your time to follow through. I look forward to connecting with all of you and sharing my love for travel, Nigeria and Africa.
Olaniyan Samuel ( Travel With Samuel )
CEO, Olaniyan Travels.
Travel, Tourism and Leisure 