In a constantly evolving global sphere where digitisation is the architecture of fundamental innovations in all sectors even as Artificial Intelligence (AI) rapidly takes precedence, there is no wondering why the theme for the 2026 World Tourism Day (WTD), a yearly global commemoration on September 27 to raise global awareness on the social, political, economic and cultural impact of travel and hospitality, is ‘Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism’.

To ensure the travel and hospitality industry is on track, the 2026 WTD theme according to the United Nations (UN) Tourism, explores how AI can help create smarter, more inclusive and sustainable tourism by enhancing decision making, strengthening skills, and improving the way destinations are experienced and managed.

“Artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping how we travel, how we work and how we connect and AI can help build a more efficient and resilient tourism sector,” Secretary-General of UN Tourism Shaikha Al Nuwais stated.

Nuwais also reiterated on a clearly global challenge of technology disconnect on bookings, payments and data. So for the 2026 WTD “We commit to connecting what’s disconnected and to building a tourism sector where technology strengthens every livelihood – this is the future worth travelling towards.”

For Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General UN, WTD celebrates the many ways tourism connects cultures and enriches lives. “This year, it also asks what kind of future we want for tourism. The theme, “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism,” reflects one of the defining transformations of our time.

“AI is changing how travellers choose destinations, how the industry operates, and how travel experiences are designed. It can strengthen small businesses, improve services and create new opportunities. Yet left unchecked, it can funnel tourists to the same few places and platforms, leaving many worthwhile destinations behind.”

Guterres underscores the necessity for technology to serve humanity by building a digital future for tourism that is open, inclusive and human while harnessing these new tools to drive sustainable development for all. “Tourism workers, local communities and emerging destinations must help shape what comes next. This requires investing in digital skills, widening access to technology, and ensuring innovation benefits the people and places that make tourism possible.”

Amidst the global commemoration of the 2026 WTD is the resounding question of where Nigeria’s tourism stands on digitisation and AI?

While the Federal Government is putting efforts into digitising tourism through national tech platforms, public-private partnerships and data driven coordination tools such as the National Tourism App and Database; NITOUREY platform launched by the Nigeria Tourism Development Authority (NTDA); “Ember to Remember” Digital Calendar launched by the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy in partnership with  MyCityApp to map out festivals, concerts and cultural celebrations across Nigeria from September to December, Carnival Calabar which was officially ranked on the international tourism documentation and festival calendar listing as the 4th biggest carnival globally and the 1st in West Africa in 2019, stands out in it new digital evolution and redesigning of Africa’s biggest street party in partnership with Nugi Technologies.

Responding to how Carnival Calabar is using digital agenda and artificial intelligence to redesign Nigeria’s premiere tourism product, the President, Nugi Group, Ugi Augustine Ugi said: “the Carnival Commission, in partnership with Nugi Technologies, is introducing digital solutions that will make Carnival calabar, popularly known as Africa’s biggest street party more accessible, participatory, transparent and connected to audiences across the globe.

“One of the key areas of this transformation is the digitisation of Carnival membership and voting. Through the digital membership platform, people can register and become part of their preferred Carnival bands in a more structured way.

“This is particularly important because we want the Carnival to be able to connect with people beyond Cross River State and Nigeria. Someone sitting in Lagos, London, Johannesburg, or anywhere in the world should be able to engage with Carnival Calabar and feel that they are part of the experience,” Ugi said.\

Carnival Calabar X Nugi Technologies On Global Participation Via Digital Ecosystem
Ugi reiterates that the digital voting platform is another important step. It provides an opportunity to make participation in Carnival voting more accessible and transparent, allowing people to participate digitally rather than limiting the experience to those physically present in Calabar.

“We also see the My crossriver App playing an important role in this broader digital ecosystem. My crossriver App is designed as a digital gateway connecting citizens and visitors to Cross River State and its services, information and experiences. Carnival Calabar is one of the experiences that is benefiting from that ecosystem.”

My crossriver App: Linking The Carnival With Global Audiences
According to Ugi, the opportunity is to make the Carnival discoverable and accessible through a digital platform that people can already use to connect with Cross River State. From information about Carnival activities and events to participation, tourism and engagement opportunities, the My crossriver platform helps create a stronger digital connection between the State, the Carnival and its audiences. “But digital transformation goes beyond simply creating apps. The real value is in the information and insights that these platforms generate and how we use them responsibly to understand our audience better. This is where Artificial Intelligence becomes increasingly important.”

How AI opens up opportunities around tourism, sponsorship, ticketing, merchandise, vendors others
AI will help analyse participation patterns, audience interests and engagement around the Carnival. It can help the carnival commission organisers understand where visitors are coming from, what experiences they are interested in and how people are responding to different aspects of the festival – Ugi stated.

“That information can support better planning and open up new opportunities around tourism, sponsorship, ticketing, merchandise, vendors and other areas of the Carnival economy. For example, if we understand the interests and behaviour of the Carnival Calabar audiences better, we can create more relevant experiences for them and also provide sponsors and businesses with better insights into the people they are trying to reach.”

Carnival Calabar: Towards Data-Driven, Globally Accessible Cultural Ecosystem
Technology is not meant to replace what makes Carnival Calabar special, which is the ‘culture’. Ugi emphasises that culture remains the heart of the Carnival. Technology is simply giving our culture through tourism a bigger stage.

“Our vision is to see Carnival Calabar evolve from an annual street celebration into a connected, data-driven and globally accessible cultural ecosystem; one that creates opportunities for participants, businesses, sponsors, tourists and the people of Cross River State.

“The digitisation of membership and voting, together with platforms such as My CrossRiver app, represents an important step in that direction.

Ultimately, we want to preserve the soul, colour and excitement of Carnival Calabar while using technology, data and artificial intelligence to take its reach and impact to an even wider global audience,” Ugi stated.
FG’s 100-Day Tourism Calendar

Designed as a centralised digital gateway to aggregate Nigeria’s festivals, concerts, cultural events, and lifestyle experiences, the 100-Day Tourism Calendar: Unveiled during the Ember to Remember National Stakeholders’ Conference in Lagos, powers a 100-day festive calendar running from September to December. It connects domestic travellers, the diaspora, and international visitors with events across all 36 states and the FCT.

The initiative, according to the Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy Hannatu Musawa is targeted towards harnessing the year-end festive surge to unlock a projected $100 billion tourism and creative economy by 2030.

This according to the Minister will aid high-grade tourism statistics and data integration to map out travel trends and industry performance. “Visitors generate economic value across aviation, transportation, hospitality, entertainment, retail, technology, artisanship and local communities. This initiative would organise, package, promote and monetise one of the country’s most economically active periods.”

There is no doubt that Nigeria’s travel industry is increasingly seeking digital solutions to improve how visitors discover destinations, attractions and tourism experiences and to achieve this optimally, Musawa during the just concluded 2026 Akwaaba Africa Travel Market implores tourism stakeholders to leverage accurate data, technology and collaboration to unlock the economic potential of the industry.

Importance of Tourism Data and Technology
There is a need for Africa to leverage on data, technology and infrastructure as access to accurate tourism data would enable stakeholders to better understand the industry and strengthen connections across its various components.

This, the Minister said, is the real deal in scaling the sector all round even as she urged stakeholders to key into the Federal Government’s broader tourism development initiatives, particularly the Tourism App, which she described as a platform designed to provide information on tourism opportunities across Nigeria and Africa. “The application would enable travellers and industry operators to discover attractions and tourism products across the country, including those offered by individual states.

The Minister also highlighted recent national digital initiatives including unified tourism applications, designed to consolidate information on travel offerings, heritage sites, and local services across all sub-regions. “Digital tools and robust data gathering serve as critical bridges connecting the various sub-sectors of the travel economy, from transportation and lodging to arts and culinary tourism.”