History was made Wednesday morning in Lagos as Africa’s biggest travel trade union, the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) signed a lucrative marketing contract agreement with Nigeria’s luxury brand hospitality giant, Eko Hotel, to upscale its cultural tourism offering, tagged the theatre of lights.
The over 25 creative with the theme “cultural carnival offerings, comprising dedicated fusion of musical theatres, circus and magical shows, grand carnival processions, ice skating, and Hakuna Matata theme park and foodies offerings, prides as the biggest pan African and continental showpiece brand out of Africa and exclusively the Xtmas holiday brand of Eko Hotel in the past three years.
The African Xtmas Santa offering started about three years ago with a modest attendance of 350 guests recorded in three days, has grown to a 4000 cheering aficionados in a two weeks holiday experience. “With NANTA expectedly throwing its marketing reach to upscale the Eko hotel leisure brand, that figure should quadruple this Xtmas and in the New Year, 2025.
Speaking at the historic marketing trade agreement in Lagos, NANTA President, Mr Yinka Folami, who led the Lagos Zone Vice-President and the executive to process the agreement, assured the hotel management that NANTA would make good all the expectations to promote and market the leisure holiday brand beyond Nigeria.
“We love this Nigerian cultural tourism story. We won’t talk too much but shall power its acceptation in our usual bullish way. Cultural tourism will give Nigeria a second chance economically, and we shall support Eko Hotel, the the NANTA President explained, adding that the Eko Hotel Theatre of Lights would light up the NANTA participation at the forthcoming World Travel Market in London.
“Among other destinations and sites in Nigeria, we shall unveil the Eko hotel leisure brand in London. The world must come to us now. No more Dubai, florida, Venice or London for the Xtmas holidays. We have this exclusive African Santa offering and the biggest luxury hotel with four expansive themed hospitality outlets to accommodate various families and friends. NANTA will flourish this reality and experience to the world, including to Nigerians. Folami added.
Ghassan Fadoul, General Manager of Eko Hotel disclosed that the hotel rose from some harsh economic realities after COVID-19 through local creative culture tourism content, noting that cultural tourism business is a big business which NANTA and Eko hotel can partner together to sell and market Nigerian culture.
“We are proudly a Nigerian company. Together, we can bring out changes, tell Nigerian story better, and sell Nigeria as a destination as we have great and different local opportunities that can excite the world and we at Eko hotel have the experience and brand to welcome our visitors and give them a lifetime experience; the amiable hotel General manager explained.
The Sales Manager of the hotel, Iyadunni Gbadebo, disclosed that the hospitality giant is intentional about the Xmas holiday product, the theatre of lights, a vehicle that must specifically break the long years of love and desire by Nigerians for foreign leisure destinations.
“We want to break the circle of holiday traffic to Dubai, London and tell Nigeria enigmatic stories of culture, music, dance, sports to the world and the over 200 million people in Nigeria and we believe NANTA, which has emerged as huge Nigerian travel trade brand can partner with us to further enrich the Nigerian leisure experience” she stated.
“We must partner to make gains for Nigeria and ourselves. Nigerians must show capacity to host the world, tell our positive stories in every human endeavour, and we can do it together. If you fact-check our strides in this engagement, we have crossed the lines, but we are positively ambitious, and NANTA appearance can further add to the values.“
Lagos Vice president of NANTA, who is expected to drive the initiative with his over 2,000 members, promised to deliver on the marketing partnership, noting that cultural tourism economy is the oil of the future and NANTA is well ahead to lead in marketing Eko Hotel and its Xtmas African theatre of lights to the world.
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