Google and Nigerian Tourism Development Commission (NTDC) Partner to Support the Tourism Industry
To boost the Nigerian tourism industry, Google and the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) have announced a partnership to facilitate growth in the tourism sector in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
This partnership is aimed at providing training for small businesses, providing digital skills initiatives for individuals and the launch of a new Google arts and culture collection called ‘Tour Nigeria’.
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Together with the NTDC, Google arts and culture has created an online exhibition of imagery, stories and commentary highlighting some of Nigeria’s beautiful, hidden gems such as the Awhum Caves of Enugu, the Osun Osogbo sacred grove of Osun state, the Wikki Warm spring of Bauchi state among others. The project also features stories and photos from some of the most colourful Nigerian cultural festivals.
Amit Sood, director, Google arts and culture, expressed hope that the partnership will further help market Nigeria’s rich tourism landscape to the international community.
In his statement, Amit said,
“Rich heritage, natural beauty and vibrant cities, Nigeria is a destination we all need on our travel shortlist soon. Even though 2020 continues to be a challenging year for Nigerians and travellers from around the world, I hope that this unique online experience created in collaboration with the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation can contribute to further promote Nigeria’s iconic sites and capture its stories.”
Folorunsho Coker, NTDC’s Director-General, in a statement also said
“The tourism sector is a key pillar of Nigeria’s economy. Initiatives that support and promote domestic tourism are critical, not only for the sector but also because a stronger tourism sector will help Nigeria’s economy recover in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. An expanded tourism sector will be able to drive employment and stimulate economic growth. Initiatives like Google’s that are grounded in data-driven insights into how the sector can be supported and grown strengthens NTDC’s ‘TOUR NIGERIA’ strategy, which seeks to promote domestic tourism in Nigeria. We are even more convinced now of the validity of this strategy and the rightness of our path and are excited to kick start this with the ‘TOUR NIGERIA’ collection with Google arts and culture.”
Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor, Google Nigeria director, commending the initiative said,
“We’re always looking for new and creative ways in which technology can foster connections between people and the arts. ’Explore Nigeria’ is an expression of that desire and a tangible program that demonstrates our economic support of and commitment to Nigeria.”
The partnership with NTDC will provide training programs to enable businesses to leverage online tools they can use to grow their businesses. It also features digital skills programs aimed at helping individuals to skill up so they can find jobs or further develop their careers within the tourism industry. Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) will also be assisted by way of digital migration programs to help them get online, and expand their audience reach.
Visit Nigeria’s Google arts and culture page here
https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/nigeria/m05cgv?hl=en