The Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA) has called for a coordinated national strategy to promote Nigeria’s tourism assets and transform the sector into a major driver of economic growth.
The Director-General of NTDA, Ola Awakan, made the call in a message to the 2026 Annual Conference and Awards of the Association of Nigerian Journalists and Writers of Tourism (ANJET) at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.
Awakan said Nigeria had abundant tourism attractions but lacked sufficient collaborations and deliberate promotion to fully harness their economic value.
He stressed the need for the Federal Government, state governments, private sector operators, host communities and other stakeholders to work together under a unified tourism agenda.
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“Outside the shores of this country, what people see is Nigeria and not any state. If it is Nigeria, we need to have a coordinated tourism, hospitality and travel agenda and the right structure to drive it to the next level,” he said.
According to him, the challenge facing the industry is not a shortage of attractions but inadequate efforts to package and promote the country’s diverse tourism offerings to domestic and international audiences.
“It is not about the fact that we don’t have content. We have more than enough content. All we need to do is to be deliberate in pushing this content to drive development in Nigeria. And I am committed to that,” Awakan said.
He identified storytelling as a key tool for showcasing Nigeria’s cultural heritage, natural attractions, indigenous cuisines, festivals, arts and hospitality offerings.
The NTDA chief said effective storytelling and destination marketing could help address negative perceptions and improve Nigeria’s image among international travellers.
Awakan, who described himself as a storyteller, disclosed that the Authority was developing a tourism-focused streaming platform in partnership with the private sector, with work on the project about 75 percent complete.
He said the initiative was designed to provide a platform for showcasing Nigeria’s tourism attractions and sharing stories about its people, culture and heritage with wider audiences.
“We are working with relevant stakeholders to write stories about who we are as a people. Nigeria is a microcosm of stories and we are yet to start telling these stories,” he said.
Awakan urged stakeholders to project Nigeria internationally through its cultural diversity, creative industries and tourism destinations rather than allowing negative narratives about insecurity and poverty to define the country.
He said that tourism development required collective responsibility, and that the government alone could not drive the sector’s growth without the involvement of private investors, communities and other stakeholders.
He urged journalists to embrace solution-driven reporting, fact-based analysis, digital innovation and compelling destination storytelling to support the growth of the sector.
Awakan reaffirmed the tourism authority’s commitment to collaborating with the media on destination marketing, tourism promotion and policy communication.
“Together, let us tell Nigeria’s tourism story with truth, creativity, responsibility and national pride, because the right story told well can turn destinations into opportunities and tourism into prosperity,” he said.
