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The Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA) and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) have agreed to strengthen collaboration in promoting tourism by leveraging Nigeria’s strong cultural reputation and storytelling potential.
President and Chairman of the Governing Council of NIPR, Dr Ike Neliaku, disclosed this while receiving a delegation from the NTDA led by its Director-General, Mr Ola Awakan, in Abuja.
Neliaku revealed that culture ranked highest among the seven pillars used by the Nigeria Reputation Management Group (NRMG), an arm of NIPR, to assess the country’s reputation perception index. He described culture as a critical driver of tourism development and national image building.
According to him in a statement on Saturday, tourism and culture are closely linked and remain powerful tools for projecting a positive image of Nigeria to the global community.
He commended the NTDA for adopting storytelling as a strategy for showcasing Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage and tourism potential, stressing the need for greater collaboration in reshaping narratives about the country.
“Tourism is a soft power of influence that we must take full advantage of. I would like to charge NTDA to always be at the forefront of setting the agenda, especially when engaging celebrities and influencers who have the capacity to spread negative narratives about the country,” Neliaku said.
The NIPR president also urged Nigerians to serve as positive ambassadors of the country, noting that the national reputation is a collective responsibility.
In his remarks, NTDA Director-General, Ola Awakan, expressed appreciation to NIPR for the engagement, describing public relations professionals as critical stakeholders in advancing Nigeria’s tourism and development agenda.
Awakan said Nigeria occupies a strategic position in Africa and must continue to tell its own story through dedicated platforms and partnerships.
He disclosed that the NTDA has developed platforms such as NITOUREY, which is expected to be commissioned by President Bola Tinubu, to promote the country’s tourism assets.
“We have dedicated platforms to tell our stories like NITOUREY, which will be commissioned by Mr President soon, and we will continue to engage the private sector through viable Public-Private Partnership initiatives to ensure sustainability,” Awakan said.
The meeting underscored the importance of culture, reputation management and strategic communication in driving tourism growth and enhancing Nigeria’s global image.
