…. as NTDA DG Meets China Tourism Academy President
BEIJING — Nigeria moved to deepen its tourism partnership with China after Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), Ola Awakan, held a strategic meeting with Dai Bin, President of the China Tourism Academy (the Data Centre of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism), in Beijing.
The talks focused on expanding Nigeria’s presence in the Chinese outbound tourism market, improving tourism intelligence and traveller profiling, and positioning Nigerian destinations to capture a larger share of Chinese travellers. Awakan proposed a structured China–Nigeria Tourism Market Development Programme to give Nigeria better insight into Chinese travel patterns and enable tailored destination marketing and product development.
Awakan also called for technical cooperation and capacity building in areas such as destination development, tourism research and data, standards, and institutional strengthening for both the NTDA and state tourism agencies. He said strong collaboration could pave the way for Chinese investment in Nigerian tourism infrastructure and hospitality, and create clear pathways for operators and investors to access investment-ready opportunities.
“The Presidency is committed to diversifying the economy through tourism,” Awakan said during the meeting, underlining the government’s interest in leveraging foreign partnerships to boost the sector.
Dai Bin welcomed the initiative, praising recent reforms in Nigeria’s tourism ecosystem and noting the country’s wealth of cultural and historical resources. He emphasized the need to improve Nigeria’s image and visibility among Chinese tourists and industry partners, saying greater understanding would help increase exchanges and travel between the two countries.
“We need to promote Nigeria in the minds of Chinese people,” Dai told Awakan, calling for expanded exchange programmes in education, training, and business that would strengthen ties between tourism stakeholders.
The China Tourism Academy offered to support the NTDA in establishing a Nigerian International Tourism Promotion Centre in China. The proposed centre would promote Nigerian destinations and tourism products, deepen market understanding, and serve as a focal point for inbound and outbound market development.
Dr. Yang Jinsong, Director of the Department of International Exchange and Finance at the China Tourism Academy, and other senior officials attended the meeting.
The engagement formed part of Awakan’s working visit to China, where he is studying Chinese tourism development strategies and participating in a seminar on Climate Action and the Sustainable Development Goals for Developing Countries hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.
The visit signals Nigeria’s renewed push to expand international partnerships, attract tourism investment, and strengthen destination marketing as the country seeks to position itself more competitively in the global tourism marketplace.
2026-09-12