In a significant development, the Ambassador of Turkey to Nigeria, Mr Mehmet Poroy, has announced that his country will relax its visa regime to encourage travel, tourism, and trade between Turkey and Nigeria.
This announcement comes barely a week after the leadership of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) returned from a trade penetration and visa regime advocacy visit to Istanbul, supported by Turkish Airlines.
During their visit, NANTA, led by its President, Mr Yinka Folami, impressed upon the Turkish Travels Association Leadership (TURSAB) the need to ease visa regimes, which have been hampering trade and tourism visits by Nigerians.
The Ambassador’s announcement is seen as a direct response to NANTA’s advocacy efforts.
The Turkish government is targeting a $5 billion trade boost with Nigeria and a $40 billion target from the African continent, following the implementation of the eased visa regime.
This move is expected to open up new opportunities for trade and commerce between the two nations.
NANTA President, Folami, expressed excitement over the response of the Turkish Ambassador, stating that the association’s advocacy visit was successful due to the support of the Turkish Travel Association leadership and Turkish Airlines management.
NANTA has urged the Nigerian government to address the visa regime concerns of the Turkish travel trade and business community wishing to visit and do business with Nigeria.
In a related development, a group of 90 registered members of NANTA arrived in Banjul, Gambia, on a week-long training and exposure expedition.
The group was flown in by Air Peace, the official carrier for the association, and was warmly received by Gambian immigration officials and a cultural troupe.
The training programme is facilitated by the Gambia Tourism and Hospitality Institute, and the group will be engaging in a certification programme during their stay.
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