LAGOS – The National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) has signed a marketing contract agreement with Eko hotel, brand hospitality company in the country to upscale its cultural tourism offering.
A statement by NANTA said that the partnership is tagged: ‘The Theatre of Lights.’
The over 25 creative themed cultural carnival offerings, comprising of 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 Christmas holiday brand of Eko hotel in the past three years.
The African Xmas Santa offering started off with a modest 350 record attendance in three days about three years ago, has grown to a four thousand cheering aficionados in a two weeks holiday experience, and with NANTA expectedly throwing its marketing reach to upscale the Eko hotel leisure brand that figure should quadruple this Xmas and in the new year 2025.
Speaking at the marketing trade agreement in Lagos, Mr. Yinka Folami, President, NANTA, who led the Lagos Zone executives to process the agreement, assured the hotel management that the association would make good all the expectations to promote and market the leisure holiday brand beyond Nigeria.
Folami also said that the Eko Hotel Theatre of Lights would light up the NANTA participation at the forthcoming World Travel Market, holding in London in November.
He said: “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.
“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 Christmas 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.”
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Also speaking Ghassan Fadoul, General Manager, Eko Hotel, explained that the hotel rolled out some harsh economic realities after Covid-19 through local creative culture tourism content.
Fadoul noted that cultural tourism business was a big venture, which NANTA and Eko Hotel could partner together to sell and market Nigerian culture.
He said: “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. We at Eko Hotel have the experience and brand to welcome our visitors and give them a lifetime experience.”
Iyadunni Gbadebo, Sales Manager, Eko Hotel, said that the hospitality giant was intentional about the Christmas holiday product, the theatre of lights, describing it as a vehicle that must specifically be driven to break the long years of love and desire by Nigerians for foreign leisure destinations.
She said the company wanted to break the circle of holiday traffic to Dubai, London and tell the positive stories of the country’s culture, music, dance, sports and the very positive vibrations of the over 200 million Nigerians to the world.
She hoped that NANTA with a huge Nigerian travel trade brand could partner with Eko Hotel to further enrich the Nigerian leisure experience.
“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,” she added.
