President Bola Tinubu has commended the Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), Ola Awakan, for adopting immersive storytelling and innovative promotional strategies to showcase Nigeria’s tourism potential and attract international attention.
Tinubu gave the commendation on Tuesday during a courtesy visit by Awakan to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where he also endorsed Nigeria’s participation in the 2026 World Travel Market (WTM) in London.
According to a statement by the NTDA, Tinubu praised Awakan’s initiatives within his first year in office, particularly his emphasis on collaboration, innovation and immersive storytelling to promote the country’s tourism assets to a global audience.
Immersive storytelling offers destinations an opportunity to connect with potential visitors through compelling narratives about their cultural heritage, historical landmarks, festivals, natural attractions and local experiences, thereby strengthening destination branding and stimulating tourism demand.
During the meeting, Awakan said Nigeria’s participation at WTM London would provide a platform to showcase the country’s destinations, establish strategic partnerships and attract investment into the tourism sector.
He said the initiative formed part of broader efforts to strengthen tourism’s contribution to economic diversification and national development.
The NTDA boss also briefed the president on ongoing initiatives to position tourism as a driver of employment generation, investment attraction and economic growth in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Discussions also centred on the reactivation of the Presidential Council on Tourism and other measures to restructure the sector, improve coordination among stakeholders and unlock its economic potential.
Nigeria’s participation at WTM London is expected to provide opportunities to engage international tour operators, destination marketers, hospitality businesses and investors, while promoting the country’s tourism offerings in the global travel market.
Beyond destination marketing, the international engagement could help attract investments into hospitality infrastructure, tour operations, cultural tourism and other tourism-related enterprises, with potential benefits for employment generation and local businesses.
As part of the visit, Awakan decorated Tinubu with the NTDA Tourism Ambassador muffler in recognition of his contributions to tourism development. He also presented the president with a publication titled Tourism as a Strategic Instrument for Economic Diversification and National Development.
Nigeria’s tourism industry possesses significant cultural and natural assets, but translating these resources into sustainable economic gains will require consistent international promotion, improved infrastructure, investor confidence and stronger collaboration between the public and private sectors.
