As the world marks World Tourism Day, organisers of DATCH Festival project that no fewer than 500,000 tourists will visit Delta state by 2030.
Kelechi Freeman Ukadike, the Chief Executive Officer of the DATCH Festival in a statement on Saturday expressed optimism that the festival would generate ₦25 billion in yearly local economic activity through heritage trails, seasonal festivals, and eco-tourism circuits in the state.
He further stated that there would be 60,000 new jobs to be created across crafts, heritage food production, performance industries, and tourism-linked enterprises with 50% of the benefits for youth and women.
Besides, he said there would be digitized storytelling and language revitalisation platforms, ensuring cultural preservation while reaching diaspora communities as well as the restoration of 25 forest heritage waterways to turn indigenous ecological knowledge into eco-tourism anchors and climate adaptation solutions and ₦120 billion in public-private partnerships investments by banks, FMCGs, and telecoms into heritage centres, creative hubs, and tourism infrastructure.
Ukadike while describing the DATCH Festival as a worthwhile venture noted :“Our message to the world on this Tourism Day is clear: heritage is not just for display, it is for development. By embedding culture into our tourism economy, we are creating jobs, protecting ecosystems, and showing that peace and unity are the most powerful attractions Delta can offer.”
For Victor Wilkinson Agih, Global Culture Diplomacy Expert and Convener of Culture Money Africa, Delta State is sending a powerful message since heritage is not just a celebration of the past, it is the foundation for building a sustainable, inclusive, and prosperous future.
He added that at a time when global tourism is under pressure to reconcile growth with sustainability, the DATCH Festival is demonstrating how culture can be positioned as both the heart and engine of transformation.
“Tourism’s greatest transformation lies in culture. Every naira invested in cultural heritage generates returns across peace, prosperity, and planet. With DATCH, Delta is proving that culture is not charity—it is capital,” he stressed.
“In Delta, the DATCH Festival is proving that when tourism is driven by culture, it can become a force for unity, peace, and shared prosperity.
“By leveraging inter-ethnic cultural diplomacy, eco-tourism models, and creative enterprise development, Delta is demonstrating that tourism transformation is not about numbers alone—it is about systems change: the way communities govern, the way youth participate, and the way natural resources are preserved.”
