All is set for the much-anticipated 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM), of the Nigeria Association of Tour Operators (NATOP), as Ekiti state is set to play host to this year’s event. The annual event which is slated to hold from July 13 to 16 in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, will have its Tourism Conference, Annual General Meeting and Awards/dinner night. The theme for this year is Tourism and Green Investment in Nigeria.
Other activities will see delegates tour some of the state’s tourist attractions. The association’s National President Mrs. Ime Udo and other executive members had met with the state Governor, Biodun Oyebanji and his team last month.
The governor noted the commitment of the government to the development and promotion of the state’s tourism, disclosing plan to create the Bureau of Tourism from the present Ministry of Arts, Culture, and Tourism, for effective operations and coordination of tourism development in the state.
According to her, “NATOP push for Ekiti State for the hosting of the 2023 AGM is just a way to promote investment opportunities for Ekiti State. It is also an avenue to showcase Ekiti State tourism potentials and also promote domestic tourism as a whole in Nigeria. “Ekiti State is ripe for ecotourism, wellness and active tourism, not forgetting the cultural heritage.”
Mrs. Udo also stated that the idea of hosting tourism conferences in states was to promote the tourism potentials of such states and sell it as a tourism destination nationally and internationally as well as open up the state for investors for them to see the inherent potential in such states. It could be recalled that Imo state and Akwa Ibom hosted the 2021 and 2022 editions.
