Nigeria and China Move to Deepen Tourism Ties

Nigeria and China are set to deepen cooperation in tourism as both countries seek to attract more Chinese tourists and investment to Nigeria.

The Nigerian Tourism Development Authority, NTDA, and the China Tourism Academy reached the agreement during a meeting in Beijing, the NTDA said in a statement.

NTDA Director-General Ola Awakan called for a structured China-Nigeria Tourism Market Development Programme to provide better understanding of Chinese travelers’ trends and preferences.

Awakan said the programme would help Nigeria develop tourism products and destination-marketing strategies tailored to the Chinese market while strengthening the country’s position in global tourism.

He also called for greater cooperation in tourism research, data, destination development, standards and institutional capacity.

According to him, stronger cooperation would create opportunities for Chinese tourism investors, operators and hospitality businesses to explore investment-ready projects in Nigeria.

Awakan also reiterated President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to diversifying Nigeria’s economy through tourism and said international partnerships would be important to achieving the goal.

President of the China Tourism Academy, Dai Bin, welcomed the initiative and described Nigeria as a country with rich cultural and historical resources.

However, Bin said Nigeria needed to improve its image and visibility among Chinese tourists and tourism operators.

“Nigeria’s image needs to be promoted in the minds of the Chinese people for our operators and tourists to understand your country better,” he said.

The academy expressed readiness to establish a strategic partnership with the NTDA and support tourism exchanges between the two countries.

It also offered to collaborate on a proposed Nigerian International Tourism Promotion Centre in China to market Nigerian destinations and tourism products.

The centre is expected to improve Nigeria’s understanding of the Chinese market and attract more Chinese tourists.

The meeting formed part of Awakan’s working visit to China, which also included a seminar on climate action and sustainable development goals.

The meeting also comes in the wake of the increasing presence of Chinese nationals living and doing business in many Nigerian commercial centres in the South East, South West and North.