(L-R) Director General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe in a chat with Frank Meke and Bebard Obaro, Senior Manager with W Hotel group in Doha at the Nigeria stand at the just concluded Arabian Travel Market in Dubai.

Nigeria s was the cynosure of all at the just concluded Arabian Travel Market in Dubai with its dedicated stand showcasing the country’s diverse culture and hospitality, including a display of its numerous tourist attractions encapsulated in beautiful Green – White – Green.

The stand, apart from the attractive design, had a talking drummer on hand which was a pull for the numerous participants in the four day exhibition which featured over 2,200 exhibitors from 69 countries.

Arabian Travel Market is the travel and tourism event unlocking business potential within the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. Tourism destinations from the Middle East and around the world showcase a diverse range of accommodation options, breathtaking tourism attractions and new airline routes.

The Arabian Travel Market (ATM)  also featured  representatives from other key areas of the globe, including some of the largest travel and tourism organizations in Europe, Asia, the US and South America.

In its bid to attract tourism investment from the region, Nigeria participated for the fourth time in a role with the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) championing the course.

Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, Director General, NTDC  said  the Arabian Travel Market is  a great  opportunity  for investors  to look at opportunities  in Nigeria, “this year we came to speak to key stakeholders in the Middle East who are interested  in developing our tourism infrastructure. We are one of the best countries in the world for business development.”

Runsewe while speaking with selected   foreign journalists at the exhibition ground said Nigeria is already attracting significant interest from hotel groups, with new properties from Raddison and Sofitel in the pipeline.

The NTDC boss said the biggest growth markets for Nigeria are in the area sports tourism, cultural tourism and the meeting & Conference industry with visitors from the Middle East and the United Kingdom proving key sources of business for these sectors.

Runsewe added that all major airlines in the world serve Nigeria major cities of Abuja and Lagos with BA and Emirates Airlines bringing in business from these countries.

“Our capital Abuja is one of the best destinations in Africa for business and conference tourism and this sector has seen growth year on year.

He told his audience that Nigeria is interested in attracting more investment in leisure resorts area of the tourism industry.