It was an atmosphere of color and excitement at the Regency Hotel in Ikeja GRA, as Black Boy Afrika, a tourism and events agency based in Lagos, Nigeria and founded by Babatunde Afolabi brought together several industry leaders within the travel and tourism space to connect, embrace, network and promote Nigeria globally.
In attendance were young travel creators, tour agencies, content creators, travel agencies, hospitality experts, Government representatives and players within the travel and tourism ecosystem.
The Global Travel Tourism And Branding Conference 2024 was centered around all industry players beginning to deliberately collaborate to further sell the Nigerian tourism product from our food, arts, destinations, culture, Lifestyle, fashion, etc., which will also stimulate inbound tourism into the country for economic gains with Africa as an extension.
The founder of Black Boy Afrika, Babatunde Afolabi passionately emphasized on why the industry players need to collaborate more on scale so as to create better opportunities for Nigeria globally for tourism, he shared that Ghana, Benin Republic, Rwanda, etc., are doing remarkably well stimulating inbound tourism and Nigeria can do better if all players come together to work and not keep waiting for the government to support.
The conference featured series of panels and discussions led by industry leaders who shared their insights on best practices, innovative marketing strategies, and the importance of leveraging digital platforms to reach a global audience.
Topics such as eco-tourism, heritage conservation, and the role of technology in tourism were thoroughly explored, providing attendees with a wealth of knowledge and actionable strategies.
One of the significant highlights of the event was the announcement by BlackBoy Afrika of the forthcoming Global Travel Tourism Festival, slated for
November.
This festival, described as the first of its kind in Nigeria, promises to be a grand showcase of the country’s tourism potential.
It aims to attract tourists from around the world, offering them an immersive experience of Nigeria’s diverse cultures, scenic landscapes, and vibrant arts scene.
Partners for the event includes Dashboard Innovations, Otunba Michael Balogun founder of Tour2Nigeria, Mrs Yewande Philip Ogunbiyi founder of Wendy Travels, Mr Olaoluwa Jeje, Mr. Olufunso Ekundayo COO Touchdown Travels, S Bakare Mubarakk (sub-sahara Africa tallest man).
There are representatives from various associations like TRAVEL CONTENT CURATOR, NANTA and NATOP as well as so many others.
The conference was supported and refreshed by Famous Grouse whisky and Fearless Energy Drink as all attendees had more than enough to drink after a long day.
