By Frank Meke
After three days of intensive and blistering tourism trade engagements, the biggest global tourism market will draw curtains in the next few hours.
About a hundred countries and fifty thousand exhibitors participated in the 2023 edition, with promising deals and gains to the bargain. At the time this report, official figures of trade visitors and tourists are yet to be made public but an estimated 30 thousand visitors throng the massive Excel centre in London daily either to make enquiries or sign up holiday itinerary bargains.
Trade groups and countries from Asia, the Caribbeans, and the Americas topped visitors’ interest and holiday plans.
The Saudis are the new emerging market in the Middle East, throbbing competition nightmares to Abu Dhabi, particularly Dubai.
The British are not looking down but strategically upping the game to market their shopping malls and old iconic castles. They simply sell stable economy and freedom to aspire.
Africa, particularly Morocco, made a statement here to grab a large chunk of visitors, evident in their strategic marketing outreach. It’s Morocco everywhere.
I want you to believe me. Nigeria, pushed forward by the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies ( NANTA), enjoyed rave enquiries. All tourism brochures produced by nanta were up in grabs, and a reprint and a search for warehoused copies of last year hurriedly surfaced to market Nigeria.
President of NANTA, Mrs Susan Akporiaye, couldn’t handle the flow of trade enquiries on Nigeria alone and had to detail her most experienced members to attend to the unbelievable numbers of visitors to the NANTA/ Nigeria exhibition gallery.
Mrs Chinyere Umeasiegbu, vice president, Eastern zone, NANTA, Yinka Folami, vp lagos, and Mrs lola Adewole National publicity Secretary of NANTA , had sweaty and hectic time attending to visitors who thronged the NANTA/ Nigeria pavilion
Certainly, when the doors are shut down here, the deals and bargains will follow those countries and exhibitors with mouth watering offerings. NANTA Nigeria day kicks off at 2pm UK time, and until next year, trust that the tourism world never goes to sleep.
