NTDA, NIPR partner to boost tourism as Nigeria tops hlobal culture reputation ranking

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage has once again been identified as a key driver of tourism development, as the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA) and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) pledged closer collaboration to promote the country’s image and tourism 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.

According to Dr. Neliaku, Nigeria ranked highest in the culture category among several global indicators used by the Nigeria Reputation Management Group (NRMG), an initiative of NIPR, to assess the country’s reputation perception.

He explained that culture recorded the strongest performance among the seven pillars used in measuring Nigeria’s reputation index, reaffirming its strategic importance in national development and tourism promotion.

Dr. Neliaku commended Awakan’s commitment to promoting Nigeria through effective storytelling, noting that culture and tourism are closely linked and cannot be separated.

He emphasized that NIPR would work closely with the NTDA to reshape global perceptions about Nigeria while encouraging citizens to serve as positive ambassadors of the country.

“Tourism is a powerful soft-power tool that we must fully harness. I encourage the NTDA to remain at the forefront of agenda-setting, especially when engaging celebrities and influencers who can either promote or misrepresent the country’s image,” he said.

Earlier, the NTDA Director-General, Mr. Ola Awakan, thanked NIPR for hosting the delegation, stressing that Nigeria has a critical leadership role to play in Africa and that public relations professionals are central to achieving that objective.

Awakan highlighted ongoing efforts by the authority to strengthen tourism promotion through innovative platforms and strategic partnerships.

“We have dedicated platforms to tell Nigeria’s stories, such as NITOUREY, which will soon be commissioned by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We will also continue to engage the private sector through viable Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives to ensure sustainability and growth in the tourism sector,” he said.

The meeting underscored the growing recognition of culture as a strategic asset for enhancing Nigeria’s reputation, attracting visitors, and driving sustainable tourism development.This version gives the story a stronger news angle, tighter structure, and more authoritative flow.