March 09, (THEWILL) – TotalEnergies African Nations cup reigning champions, Senegal, have reached out to Nigeria’s biggest and most influential travel and tourism trade group, National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), in an effort to ramp up a mutually-beneficial intelligence and market capacity sharing relationship on tourism trade.
While NANTA will bring the massive presence and experience of its over 6,000 members across Nigeria to stimulate the Senegal and Nigeria tourism handshake across the vast west coast of Africa, the Senegalese team represented by its fledging government-powered Tourism Board will fund expansive and exclusive trade workshops on Senegal trado cultural and sport tourism offerings.
With eyes on Nigeria’s active trade and adventure market, NANTA will help navigate the destination Senegal expectations, a notable tourism feat the association has championed as part of its Africa to Africa tourism diplomacy under its current leadership.
Susan Akporiaye, President NANTA, leading key members of her executive, assured the Senegalese Tourism Board team, that NANTA has the connection, experience and reach to drive the destination Senegal initiative in Nigeria. In an effectual gesture to birth the relationship, Akporiaye offered a free exhibition stand to Senegal at its annual trade conference in Kano this month to showcase its tourism products and offerings.
She further informed the Senegalese trade team led by Khadim Amar, Senior project manager, Mamadou Moustapa, Religious tourism product manager and consultant, Sakina Renneye, that NANTA will leave no stone unturned in partnering with willing African tourism bodies and its committed to sharing tourism trade prosperity with Senegal.
Khadim Amar, who spoke at the strategic meeting held at Ikorodu, Lagos iconic head office of the 46 years old association, expressed their gratitude to NANTA whose support and commitment to the growth of joint tourism initiatives and action plans in Africa has become legendary.
“We are grateful for this opportunity to meet with NANTA, to plan and agree together especially as Africans on how the continent, can benefit from tourism trade promotion.” Amar stated, adding that the Senegalese authorities are willing to further drive the NANTA relationship, by hosting a broad meeting with the association in Senegal in order to horn tourism and related trade openings between the two west African brother nations for the benefit of its people.
Presenting a football jersey with Number 10 to the President of NANTA, Amar explained that the Senegalese team won the African nations cup with its Number 10 player winning the Man of Match in the final game, and therefore the jersey number 10 given to NANTA, symbolises a winning strategy with NANTA willing to open the Nigerian travel market to Senegal as the two institutions gear up to a win-win intra West coast tourism engagement.
Janefrances Ebere Chibuzor is a Tourism Writer at THEWILL
