BY ONYEKACHI VICTORIA PHILIP
Long before conversations around cross-border tourism partnerships gained momentum in Africa, La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort had already begun expanding its vision beyond Nigeria, using culture, heritage and sustainable tourism as tools for economic development across the continent and the African diaspora.
In 2023, the resort made history by commencing the construction of what was described as the world’s first African Tourism Free Trade Zone in Antigua and Barbuda.
The ambitious project, championed by La Campagne Tropicana Founder and President, Otunba Wanle Akinboboye, was conceived as a platform to reconnect Africa with its diaspora through tourism, cultural exchange, trade, fashion, arts and investment.
The development followed the acceptance of a proposal jointly presented by Motherland Beckons and La Campagne Tropicana to recreate an African tourism experience on the Caribbean island.
The vision extended beyond the Caribbean into Africa, where La Campagne also pursued plans to replicate its African-themed tourism model in Grand-Bassam, Côte d’Ivoire, as part of a broader expansion strategy that includes exporting Nigeria’s indigenous hospitality concept while promoting African culture, architecture, environmental conservation and community development across the continent.
The resort’s continental drive was further demonstrated in Taraba State, where it partnered with the state government to deliver Nigeria’s first Agro-Ecotourism Heritage Resort.
Completed within weeks of signing a Memorandum of Understanding, the project combined agriculture, ecotourism and cultural heritage into a single destination designed to boost tourism, create jobs and stimulate rural economic growth.
The initiative formed part of a wider tourism development programme covering multiple locations across Taraba State.