NTDC, Cote D’Ivoire to Partner on Tourism, Economy

… Agency reactivates information desk at Abuja airport

The Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) and the Cote d’Ivoirean embassy in Nigeria are set for a strategic partnership on tourism and economic development.
Cote d’Ivoire’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Madam Toure Nee Kone Maman, gave this assurance recently when she paid a courtesy call on the NTDC Director-General, Mrs Sally Mbanefo. The ambassador noted that Nigeria is immensely blessed in tourism and acknowledged that its economy is fast improving.
She added that Cote d’Ivoire is also fast developing economically and tourism, “hence, it is expedient for the two countries to synergise to propel the development of the duo.”
Reacting to the Cote d’Ivoirien’s speech, Mbanefo gave assurance that Nigeria’s achievement in tourism would double by 2017, noting that “the fall in the price of oil in the global market has propelled an encouraging shift of focus from oil to tourism.”
Mbanefo said: “Presently, tourism contributes about four per cent to our GDP, but it would have increased to about eight per cent in the next two years.”
The NTDC boss reiterated that the focus of her administration is on domestic tourism, whereby Nigerians are encouraged to travel within the country and foreigners are encouraged to travel to Nigeria.
Ambassador Maman, who described Cote d’Ivoire as the first exporter of cashew nuts and largest producer of cocoa, said the synergy would explore every aspect of tourism that the two countries share, which, according to her include, religious, business, beach, eco and cultural tourism.
In another development, the NTDC, in continuation of its bid to present a better image of Nigeria to the international community and improve domestic tourism in the country, has unveiled the Tourism Information Desk at Abuja International Airport.
The Tourism Information portal came alive at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport on Monday when the Director General unveiled it, saying that the information desk would assist tourists with the general knowledge of tourism industry in Nigeria.
She noted that launching of the information desk was part of the corporation’s efforts to promote domestic tourism and enhance gathering and collating the data of tourists entering Nigeria.
In her remarks, the head of FAAN Communication, Mrs Yakubu Henrietta, lauded the NTDC initiative, saying that the information desk at the airport would go a long way in promoting Nigerian culture.
“This stand that has been opened today by NTDC is truly great. This desk will promote Nigeria a lot; any foreigner coming into the country will, through this stand, get useful information about Nigeria’s tourist sites, which hotel to visit and other necessary details. This will really promote our culture.
“I am happy that this stand is located in a very strategic place in the airport; it will allow anybody coming either from the international or domestic side get useful information. This is a very good development,” she said.