Joel Ajayi
The Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA) has taken a significant step toward advancing tourism development across the country by partnering with the African Travel Commission (ATC).
This strategic alliance was re-echoed during a recent meeting at the NTDA Headquarters in Abuja where ATC met with the Director Overseeing the Office of Director-General, Mr. Richard Ovie Esewhaye to discuss a unified approach aimed at boosting tourism.
The ATC delegation was Led by Dr. Lucky George, Executive Director of the ATC, who espoused the need to leverage our collective strengths to promote sustainable tourism growth and cultural exchange within Nigeria and indeed Africa.
In his response, the Director Overseeing the Office of Director-General observed that tourism development has been a cliche for a long time in Nigeria with past administrations paying lip service to the sector. He expressed commitment to effecting a paradigm shift towards practical tourism growth under the present administration.
As the NTDA and ATC plan to jointly develop campaigns that highlight the rich cultural heritage and emerging travel experience of Nigerians and Africans, a major stakeholder that will now be engaged is the travel press.
This was re-emphasised during the session with both parties in agreement that the essence was to pool resources and expertise in order to attract a broader international audience that will key into the new impetus engineered by NTDA and ATC.
In his closing statement, Mr. Esewhaye underscored the potential for this collaboration to create jobs and enhance infrastructure, stating, “This partnership is a testament to our shared vision of transforming Nigeria and Africa’s tourism landscape.”
