By Palma Ileye
President Bola Tinubu has commended the Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), Ola Awakan, for adopting immersive storytelling to promote Nigeria’s tourism potential and attract global attention to the country’s tourism assets.
Tinubu gave the commendation yesterday during a courtesy visit by Awakan to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where the President praised the NTDA boss for promoting collaboration and innovation within his first year in office.
The President noted that creative approaches to tourism promotion were necessary to showcase Nigeria’s tourist attractions, strengthen the sector and enhance the country’s visibility on the global tourism stage.
During the visit, Awakan secured Tinubu’s endorsement for Nigeria’s participation in the 2026 World Travel Market (WTM) in London, an international platform for promoting tourism destinations and building partnerships within the industry.
Awakan said the event would provide Nigeria with an opportunity to showcase its tourist destinations, establish strategic partnerships and attract investment into the sector.
He added that the initiative was part of broader efforts to strengthen tourism’s contribution to economic diversification and national development.
The NTDA Director-General also briefed the President on ongoing initiatives to position tourism as a major driver of employment generation, investment attraction and economic growth in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Discussions during the meeting also centred on the reactivation of the Presidential Council on Tourism and other measures aimed at restructuring the sector.
As part of the visit, Awakan decorated Tinubu with the NTDA Tourism Ambassador muffler in recognition of his contributions to tourism development.
He also presented the President with a publication titled Tourism as a Strategic Instrument for Economic Diversification and National Development.
