One of Rivers State’s Islands, Bonny Island, is positioning tourism as a new pillar of its economy, as the Bonny Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture prepares to unveil an ambitious three-year plan to transform the historic kingdom into a premier tourism destination.

The plan, known as the Discover Bonny Initiative, will be formally launched during the Bonny Island Tourism and Investment Summit scheduled for August 18 to 20, 2026, on Bonny Island.

President of the Bonny Chamber and Executive Director of the Discover Bonny Initiative, Dr Constance Nwokejiobi, disclosed this at a press conference ahead of the summit.

Nwokejiobi said the initiative was designed to complement Bonny’s traditional oil and gas economy with a sustainable tourism industry anchored on the kingdom’s rich cultural heritage, historical sites, natural attractions and hospitality potential.

According to her, the initiative will establish a Tourism Concierge Platform, a structured partnership framework for investors and a privately driven Tourism Centre to coordinate tourism activities and attract investment.

She said the private-sector approach was necessary to ensure that Bonny’s tourism economy remained commercially viable and was not dependent solely on government funding or political administrations.

“Tourism is Nigeria’s Orange Economy, a creative and service-driven growth engine capable of diversifying and expanding our national GDP beyond oil and gas,” she said.

Nwokejiobi noted that the Bonny Local Government Area already makes a significant contribution to the Nigerian economy through its oil and gas activities, stressing that tourism could provide a second, more sustainable economic pillar for the area.

She said the summit would bring together government officials, investors, tourism experts, traditional rulers, community leaders and private-sector operators to develop partnerships capable of turning Bonny’s tourism potential into economic opportunities.

The three-day event will feature the formal launch of the Discover Bonny Initiative, tourism partnership agreements, investment discussions, cultural displays, heritage tours and recreational activities.

A major highlight of the summit will be the Okoloama Fungumini Festival, which will showcase Bonny’s traditional masquerade culture and communal heritage.

Nwokejiobi said the Chamber was also pursuing international tourism and investment opportunities through engagement with the Caribbean region, with support from Afreximbank for a Caribbean corridor and bankability review.

She said the initiative was intended to position Bonny as a bridge between Nigeria and international tourism and investment markets.