History was made Wednesday morning in Lagos as Africa’s biggest travel trade union, the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies ( NANTA ) signed a lucrative marketing contract agreement with Nigeria’s luxury brand hospitality giant, Eko Hotels to upscale its cultural tourism offering, tagged the Theatre of Lights.

The over twenty-five creative themed cultural carnival offerings, comprising of dedicated fusion of musical theatres, circus and magical shows, grand carnival processions, ice skating, and Hakuna Matata theme park and foodies offerings, prides as the biggest pan African and continental showpiece brand out of Africa and exclusively the Xmas holiday brand of Eko Hotels in the past three years.

The African Xmas Santa offering started off with a modest 350 record attendance in three days about three years ago, has grown to a four thousand cheering aficionados in a two weeks holiday experience, and with NANTA expectedly throwing its marketing reach to upscale the Eko Hotel leisure brand, that figure should quadruple this Xmas and in the new year , 2025.

Speaking at the historic marketing trade agreement in lagos, NANTA president Mr Yinka Folami, who led the Lagos Zone vice-president and the executives to process the agreement, assured the hotel management that nanta would make good all the expectations to promote and market the leisure holiday brand beyond Nigeria.

” we love this Nigerian cultural tourism story. We won’t talk too much but shall power its acceptation in our usual bullish way. Cultural tourism will give Nigeria a second chance economically, and we shall support Eko Hotel. ” NANTA president explained, adding that the Eko Hotel Theatre of Lights would light up the NANTA participation at the forthcoming World Travel Market in London.

” Among other destinations and sites in Nigeria, we shall unveil the Eko Hotels leisure brand in London. The world must come to us now. No more Dubai, Florida, Venice or London for the Xmas holidays. We have this exclusive African Santa offering and the biggest luxury hotel with four expansive themed hospitality outlets to accommodate various families and friends. NANTA will flourish in this reality and experience to the world, including to Nigerians. Folami proudly added.

Ghassan Fadoul, General Manager of Eko Hotel disclosed that the hotel rose out of some harsh economic realities after COVID 19 through local creative culture tourism content, noting that cultural tourism business is a big business which NANTA and Eko Hotel can partner together to sell and market Nigerian culture.

” We are proudly a Nigerian company. Together, we can bring out changes, tell Nigerian story better, and sell Nigeria as a destination as we have great and different local opportunities that can excite the world and we at Eko Hotel have the experience and brand to welcome our visitors and give them a lifetime experience., the amiable hotel’s General manager explained.

Iyadunni Gbadebo, the hotel’s sales manager, disclosed that the hospitality giant is intentional about the Xmas holiday product, the theatre of lights, a vehicle that must specifically driven break the long years of love and desire by Nigerians for foreign leisure destinations.

” We want to break the circle of holiday traffic to Dubai, London and tell our story, the positive and enigmatic stories of our culture, music, dance, sports , the very positive vibrations of Nigeria to the world and the over 200 million people in Nigeria and we believe nanta which has emerged as huge Nigerian travel trade brand can partner with us to further enrich the Nigerian leisure experience” she stated, adding ” we must partner to make gains for Nigeria and ourselves. Nigerians must show capacity to host the world, tell our positive stories in every human endeavour, and we can do it together. If you fact-check our strides in this engagement, we have crossed the lines, but we are positively ambitious, and NANTA appearance can further add to the values. “

Lagos Vice president of NANTA, who is expected to drive the initiative with his over two thousand members, promised to deliver on the marketing partnership, noting that cultural tourism economy is the oil of the future and that NANTA is well ahead to lead in marketing Eko Hotel and its Xmas African Theatre of Lights to the world. “