Eko Tourism Foundation, Arik Air In Strategic Alliance To Make Lagos Africa’s Tourism Hub
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Chidi Ugwu
The Eko Tourism Foundation (ETF) and Arik Air have agreed to explore a strategic partnership to realise the shared goal of transforming Lagos into Africa’s foremost tourism hub. The agreement was reached today (Wednesday) when the ETF Governing Board paid a visit to the headquarters of Arik Air in Lagos.
During the visit, the Chairman of the ETF Governing Board/Board of Trustees, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, proposed a strategic alliance between both organisations, outlining concrete areas of collaboration that would leverage Arik Air’s domestic and regional network to accelerate tourist traffic to Lagos and across Nigeria.
Making the case for the partnership, Alhaji Mohammed described aviation as the indispensable gateway to tourism.
“Airlines are the gateway to tourism. Aviation and tourism are two wings of the same bird,” he said, adding that no matter how rich Lagos’s culture, how beautiful its beaches or how electric its nightlife, the city remained out of reach to the world without dependable, well-connected air services to carry people to it.
Alhaji Mohammed acknowledged Arik Air’s two decades as a household name in Nigerian aviation, commending the carrier’s resilience through structural transitions and its maintenance of a crucial domestic and regional network linking Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Accra and Freetown.
“Together, the Eko Tourism Foundation and Arik Air can create a seamless, world-class experience that catches a traveller’s attention the moment they book a ticket and leaves them awestruck by the time they step out of Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
‘’Let us combine the wings of Arik Air with the cultural heartbeat of Lagos to drive our economy, create millions of jobs for our youth and write a proud new chapter for Nigeria,” he said.
The proposed strategic alliance includes Destination Marketing Collaboration, which will integrate “Destination Lagos” and “Destination Nigeria” campaigns into Arik Air’s passenger touchpoints, in-flight magazines and digital booking platforms, to market local attractions directly to the airline’s travellers.
Others are the “Experience Lagos” Project, which will develop curated travel packages, stopover tourism initiatives and special flight incentives tied to major cultural, arts and fashion festivals hosted in Lagos State, and Corporate Institutional Membership, under which Arik Air is invited to join the ETF under its specialised membership categories: Champions, Patrons or Industry Pillars, giving the airline a direct voice in shaping Nigeria’s tourism policy and advocacy agenda.
Responding, Arik Air’s Chief Marketing Officer, Mr. Charles Arumemi-Johnson, said the ETF delegation’s visit as timely and its mission in sync with the aspirations of the airline, and assured that the ETF’s requests would be favourably considered.
Other members of the ETF’s high-powered delegation included Her Royal Highness, Erelu Dr. Chevalier AbiolaDosunmu, the Kuti IV of Lagos, Dr. Tunde Lawrenson and Ms. Abiola Adelana. Born from the vision of the 137-year-old Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), the Eko Tourism Foundation was officially unveiled late last year with a mandate to build a sustainable, structured and highly profitable alternative to Nigeria’s oil-driven economy.
The Foundation’s mission is to bring the world to Lagos, for its rich history, landmarks, culinary experiences, world-class music, film, fashion and culture, and to scale the explosive energy of events like “Detty December,” vibrant concerts and traditional ‘’Owambe’’ culture into a sustainable, year-round global attraction.
ETF’s growing international standing received a significant boost earlier this month, when it was officially admitted as an Affiliate Member of UN Tourism, a prestigious endorsement that grants it a global platform to engage and exchange best practices with over 500 elite international tourism stakeholders.
