Was the question posed by Damola, founder of Irinajo, a Nigerian tour operating company. A hush fell among the audience as this was an established taboo subject matter not to be treated with the same levity as travel. This was the last panel at Social Media Week Lagos, marking #TravelAfricaDay. An afternoon of conversations about catering to the 21st century Nigerian traveler with today’s technology was winding down. What could be touristy about Sambisa Forest? How could this notorious location increase the influx of tourism to Nigeria?
Afrotourism, a travel startup that explores and showcases the untapped Africa hosted the first travel panel of the day. Olori Super girl and Chiamaka of Social Prefect Tours added a youthful angle to the discussion about what more can be done digitally to enhance the experience of the Nigerian traveler. Seasoned African travel pioneer and founder of Akwaaba Expo, Ikechi Uko acknowledged the duo as having an edge in fulfilling the expectations of today’s digital age Nigerian traveler. Bruce Prins, the manager of Epe Resort shared real life situations his hotel group have had to deal with, while representatives from Jumia Travel and Travelstart shared the travails of online travel agencies as they manage the Nigerian consumer’s expectations.
Over the course of the day, Nigeria’s tourism gems were showcased. With the use of captivating videos and images, panelists spoke about known tourist locations in Nigeria such as Calabar for the city’s carnival in December. After which, the discussion veered towards the unexplored but still stunning less popular tourist sites in states like Bauchi. It was clear that social media has been instrumental in spreading the word about the beauty and adventure that lies on the roads, historic, and natural sites right here in Nigeria.
Thus, when the last panel made up of Funmi from The Village Pot Adventures, Damola, and Nneka Agbim, an independent travel consultant took to the stage, the audience was reluctant to add Sambisa Forest to their travel list. Located in the South Western part of the Chad Basin National Park, Sambisa Forest is said to host over 62 species of birds, sparse fauna, and a game reserve that teemed with a variety of animals in the 1970s. Even the negative association Boko Haram’s hideout adds more importance to Sambisa.
“Many people are attracted to locations were key events, although tragic happened.” Nneka said, adding an aura of mystery to the viability of Sambisa Forest possessing the potential to be a future tourist destination. Clearly, travel boundaries are being broken in this digital age. The discussions centering on using technology to travel Africa were proof. Now, the audience had enough reasons to travel and places to see within the continent
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