The Eastern Zone of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies, NANTA, has announced the commencement of a landmark 11-state Executive Council (EXCO) tour aimed at strengthening stakeholder engagement, promoting tourism development, and expanding trade and travel opportunities across the region.
The initiative, themed “Connecting States, Uniting Members, Expanding Trade & Travel Opportunities,” is scheduled to begin on June 5, 2026, with visits to Rivers and Bayelsa states before extending to Abia, Cross River, Imo, Enugu, Ebonyi, Edo, Anambra, Delta, and Akwa Ibom states.
In a statement, the NANTA Eastern Zone leadership described the tour as a strategic effort to deepen collaboration among government institutions, tourism stakeholders, aviation agencies, business communities, and members of the association while positioning the region as a major destination for tourism, investment, conferences, and inbound travel.
According to the Executive Council, the initiative is designed to create direct engagement with stakeholders, identify industry opportunities and challenges, strengthen grassroots participation among members, and build sustainable partnerships capable of driving economic growth through tourism and travel.
“The tour is a deliberate effort to connect directly with stakeholders, identify opportunities and challenges within the industry, strengthen grassroots membership participation, and build sustainable partnerships capable of driving economic growth through tourism and travel,” the council stated.
As part of the exercise, the delegation will hold high-level meetings with state ministries responsible for tourism, aviation agencies such as the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, small and medium-scale enterprises, hospitality operators, investors, and media organisations.
The itinerary includes stakeholder forums, tourism investment roundtables, business networking sessions, site inspections, media briefings, and strategic discussions focused on tourism promotion, aviation collaboration, trade expansion, and hospitality sector development.
The Rivers and Bayelsa leg of the tour will feature engagements with tourism ministries, airport authorities, SMEs, investors, and media stakeholders. The delegation will move to Abia State on June 8 and 9 for collaborative sessions geared towards enhancing tourism and business growth.
Cross River State will host the team from June 11 to 13 for tourism investment forums and stakeholder engagements, while visits to Imo, Enugu, and Ebonyi states are scheduled for June 15 to 19. The Edo State leg of the tour is slated for July 3 and 4, focusing on heritage tourism and trade development, while Anambra and Delta states will host the delegation on July 12. The date for the Akwa Ibom visit will be announced later.
NANTA said the tour is expected to strengthen its presence across the Eastern Zone, deepen collaboration with government agencies and industry stakeholders, increase membership growth and retention, expand tourism and travel opportunities, and foster stronger partnerships within the aviation and hospitality sectors.
The association called on government agencies, tourism operators, investors, development partners, industry stakeholders, and the media to support the initiative, describing it as a significant step towards building a more connected, competitive, and opportunity-driven travel ecosystem across the region.
The Eastern Zone leadership expressed optimism that the engagement would unlock new opportunities for tourism development, investment promotion, and economic growth while reinforcing the region’s position as a key player in Nigeria’s travel and tourism industry.
