It was a grand occasion on Friday, December 4, 2020 as the organisers of the Seven Wonders of Nigeria hosted the final episode of year for the groundbreaking Naija7Wonders Zoom Conferences.
After an impressive run of sixteen episodes which started on June 19, 2020, the webinar took a break in September after episode twelve for the induction of the Top 100 Club: Class of 2020.
The Naija7Wonders webinar is arguably the best thing to have happened to domestic tourism in the country, following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The online weekly event practically grabbed the comatose industry by the scruff of the neck, shaking it awake from its slumber and injecting with a vitality, hitherto unknown.
Week after week, Nigerian tourism professionals, ranging from seasoned tour operators, travel agents, and travel journalists took the eager audience around the country, unveiling a whole gamut of amazing destinations, events and attractions – old and new, natural and man-made, popular and untapped – dotting the landscape of this great nation.
The final episode for the year was an opportunity to take stock of the successes and achievements recorded within the year. Speaking during the event, Queen Ebele Enemchukwu (Mrs. Tourism 2016), remarked that the experience was like “pure gold offered on a platter.”
She stated it was a paradigm shift, as she recalled the very first episode which kicked off with the incumbent President of National Association of Nigerian Travel Agents (NANTA), Susan Akporiaye making her presentation. According to Queen Ebele, the COVID-19 forced everyone to look inward, which invariably led to the ‘discovery’ of the wealth of tourism attractions available within our clime.
Watching the various episodes of Naija7Wonders webinar has broadened her education on tourism, she said citing the discovery of new places like Idere Hills, etc. “None of us is as smart, as intelligent, as informed, as knowledgeable, as all of us,” she concluded.
Referring to the things that have transpired on the Naija7Wonders webinar, Madam Tinuke Nwakohu of Aviator Travels believes, these are “what dreams are made of,” describing it as a domestic tourism revolution. She said it has been a wonderful journey through it all, with several amazing destinations discovered and visited from the comfort of one’s living room.
Another faithful member of the audience among those who rarely missed the show, Madam Kemi Soetan praised the Naija7Wonders show, as she dedescribed Nigeria as ‘tourism haven.’
Other speakers who spoke glowingly include Gabe Onah of Carnival Calabar Commission, and Nkereuwem Onung, Chairman Board of Trustees of NATOP.
There was time for the backroom staff on the Naija7Wonders webinar, the men working on the technical details behind the scene, to speak about the favourite presentations from the episodes.
Also, several tour operators got a chance to showcase their respective holiday packages for the Christmas season. The show ended on a celebratory note, with the promise of greater things to come in the coming year.
