Tourism Meets Technology and Storytelling at the 2025 Tourism Media Roundtable

Lagos, Nigeria – Hosted on Friday 10th October, 2025, Tourism Media Roundtable 2025, held at the Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, convened key players in Nigeria’s tourism, media, and technology sectors to explore the theme “Amplifying Nigerian Tourism through Strategic Media Collaboration.”

The event was hosted by Nnenna Fakoya-Smith, the Founder, Nene-Uwa Hub Ltd, alongside co-hosts Roli Eluwa, Mary David, and Rasheed Oshinusi, all postgraduate colleagues from the Pan-Atlantic University’s School of Media and Communication (SMC). The roundtable was supported by Red Clay Advisory (Strategic Partner), Goge Africa (Media Partner), and Radisson Blu (Venue Partner), with endorsements from the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) and the National Council for Arts & Culture (NCAC).

Approved as part of their Project-Based Internship (PBI) for their MSc in Media and Communication at Pan-Atlantic University, the roundtable served as both a research dissemination platform and an industry development dialogue, bridging academia, media, and tourism practice in Nigeria’s tourism and media sectors.

Delivering the keynote address, Lolo Ngozi Ngoka, Thematic Lead, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (Tourism & Hospitality Thematic Group), emphasised that “tourism must be treated as a national mission,” advocating for data-driven media, digital storytelling, and cross-sector collaboration. She further called for government investment in digital infrastructure and strategic partnerships to amplify Nigeria’s global tourism visibility.

A stimulating panel discussion moderated by Dr. Adun Okupe, Principal Advisor at RedClay Advisory, explored how AI, digital tools, and storytelling can drive trust, branding, and customer experience in tourism. Panelists included Amb. Nneka Isaac-Moses, Co-founder & Managing Director, Goge Africa Worldwide Limited; Alhaji Gbenga Sunmonu, Vice-President South-West, Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN); Dr. Oluwatoyin Adedayo, Senior Lecturer and Head of Tourism Management Technology Department, Yaba College of Technology (Lagos); Kehinde Odusote, Senior Consultant (Business Development & Strategy), TechCabal Insights; and Cornelius Ugwunwa, Co-founder and CEO, Kardinal Inc.

“Technology is no longer optional in tourism; it is a necessity for growth, storytelling, and global competitiveness,” said Dr. Okupe, underscoring the need for collaboration between media, academia, and private sector innovators to reposition Nigeria’s tourism landscape.

Nnenna also presented findings from her master’s research on multi-channel digital marketing for sustainable tourism in Nigeria. Her study identified Instagram, WhatsApp, and YouTube as top-performing platforms for destination visibility, while noting ongoing challenges in branding consistency, digital literacy, and funding.

“The Tourism Media Roundtable is not a talk-talk event – it is a solution-driven and implementation event,” said Nnenna Fakoya-Smith, Convener of the Tourism Media Roundtable, reaffirming her commitment to actionable outcomes that move beyond dialogue to measurable industry impact.

Breakout sessions further engaged participants around five thematic areas: Policy & Digital Infrastructure, Tech Adoption for Tourism Businesses, Influencer Collaboration Models, Media Innovation & Storytelling Platforms, and Capacity Building & Digital Skills Development.

The roundtable discussions produced actionable outcomes, including the development of a Tourism Media Playbook to guide future storytelling and media-driven tourism strategies, the strengthening of public-private partnerships for tourism innovation and digital adoption, and the creation of a Tourism Media Network to drive storytelling, advocacy, and collaboration across the sector.

For Inquiries:
Nnenna Fakoya-Smith
Founder, Nene-Uwa Hub Ltd & Convener, Tourism Media Roundtable
Email: ajalanene@nene-uwa.com