The African Travel Commission (ATC) will hold its 2027 Annual Tourism Summit in Lagos, Nigeria, scheduled from March 16 to 17. The two-day event will be hosted at the Eko Hotel & Suites in Lagos, bringing together key tourism stakeholders across Africa.
Participants and Focus Pillars
The summit will gather chief executives of tourism authorities, development institutions, private-sector leaders, investors, airlines, hospitality companies, travel and tour operators, destination management organizations, and media representatives. The program will center on four pillars: Collaboration, Connectivity, Affordability, and Cross-Border Movement, which the ATC identified as critical to unlocking Africa’s tourism potential.
Inaugural Summit and Objectives for 2027
The 2027 summit builds on the first
ATC Pan-African Tourism Summit and Exhibition held in Lagos in 2026. The initial event focused on accelerating growth and competitiveness in African tourism. The 2027 edition aims to advance those outcomes toward deeper integration and practical partnerships across the continent’s tourism industry.
Challenges to African Tourism and Summit Agenda
Despite Africa’s rich natural and cultural resources, the continent faces constraints such as high travel costs, limited air connectivity, restrictive visa policies, insufficient infrastructure, fragmented marketing efforts, and low investment levels. The summit will address these issues through discussions on improving intra-African transport links, lowering travel expenses, and easing visa and border processes that restrict cross-border movement.
Nigeria’s Role and Summit Activities
Nigeria’s
selection as host underscores its position as a tourism and economic hub in Africa. Its cultural heritage, creative industries, hospitality sector, business tourism opportunities, and large domestic market position it as a gateway for West African and continental tourism. The summit program will include high-level policy dialogues, expert panels, business networking, investment forums, and opportunities for destinations and companies to showcase their offerings.
The ATC will collaborate with continental and international partners to ensure the summit produces actionable outcomes, enabling measurable improvements in African tourism through enhanced collaboration, connectivity, and cross-border facilitation.
