Mr. Piriye Kiyaramo, popularly described as Mr. Tourism, was inducted into the 100 Tourism Club Abuja, Nigeria, after making the the Africa Travel Magazine’s list of 100 Top Most Tourism Personalities in Nigeria in 2019.
He is the Secretary of Bayelsa State Tourism Advisory Committee, chaired by the state’s Commissioner for Culture and Tourism.
Mr. Kiyaramo, who is the founder/coordinator of South South Travel Writers’ Corps and also the pioneer chairman of Travel Writers’ Corps of Bayelsa State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), is the current Vice Chairman of the umbrella tourism monitoring and regulatory body in the private sector in the country, Federation of Tourism Associations Nigeria (FTAN) covering the six south-south states of Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Edo.
Born on April 12, 1963 at Bamso, in Southern Cameroon, Mr. Kiyaramo, hails from Ikebiri 1 community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. He is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the Blue Economy Newsmagazine online.
He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical and Health Education from the University of Port Harcourt and a Diploma in Journalism from the International Institute of Journalism (IIJ), Abuja.
Mr Kiyaramo is Bayelsa State chairman of Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria (ATPN) and Public Relations Officer(PRO) of the newly established Bayelsa State Tourism Stakeholders Association (BTSA).
It is on record that Mr Kiyaramo drafted the Bill for the establishment of the Bayelsa State Institute of Tourism, Catering and Hotel Management for the Bayelsa State Government which was passed into law by the State House of Assembly.
His Excellency, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson assented the Bill on December 31, 2012 and the institute was eventually established. The pioneer Rector, late Professor Prince Efere and the immediate past Rector, Mr Samuel Timi Johnson, were all recommended by Mr Kiyaramo.
Mr Kiyaramo served as the pioneer acting Deputy Rector of the International Institute of Tourism and Hospitality, Yenagoa, on a voluntary basis as part of his voluntary management committee which he constituted to kick start the operations of the institute in 2013 when the institute had no staff, except the accountant that was posted from the Treasury Department to act as Bursar. He was one time Zonal Secretary of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) South-South Zone.
Mr Tourism, also served on the pioneer executive council of the West Africa Tourism Union (WATU) Ghana. He was later appointed secretary of West Africa Tourism Union’s Roadmap Drafting Committee in Lome, Togo in 2006, representing Nigeria on the committee.
Other positions held by Mr. Kiyaramo, include, founding secretary of Bayelsa Tourism Practitioners’ Association; Honourary Secretary of Yenagoa Boat Club; Chairman/CEO of De Spring Travels & Tours Limited; Media Director, Niger Delta Tourism, Peace Initiative, Uyo; Secretary, Association of Nigerian Travel Agents, Bayelsa Chapter; Chairman, Association of Nigerian Journalists and Writers of Tourism (ANJET) and Director of Public Relations at the International Institute of Tourism and Hospitality, Yenagoa.
He was appointed consultant with the Bayelsa State Tourism Development Bureau, now Bayelsa State Tourism Development Agency; Secretary of the Ox-Lake Management Committee; Director of Media and Communication, Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria (ATPN); President, Bayelsa Village Travel Club; State Secretary, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR); Chairman, Corporate Relations Committee of Bayelsa State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists; Founder and Director-General of Bayelsa Business Roundtable; founding State Secretary, Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria, Bayelsa State chapter and National Publicity Secretary of International Institute for Peace (IIPT) Nigeria.
This astute tourism promoter and industry player served as Niger Delta regional liaison officer and media consultant under the office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme at the State House, Abuja, Nigeria.
He also served as two times special adviser to two former speakers of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly.
He is happily married to Mrs. Mercy Kiyaramo and the family is blessed with children.
