Tourists Club International has announced the creation of two tourism sites in Badagry, Lagos State: the Tourists Club International Art Gallery and the Tourists Club International Forest Reserve.
The announcement was issued on Sunday in observance of World Tourism Day 2026, whose theme is “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism” and whose official global celebration is being hosted by El Salvador, the organisation said.
TCI president Dr Osa Mbonu-Amadi described the projects as the club’s practical response to the World Tourism Day theme. “The establishment of the Tourists Club International Art Gallery and the Tourists Club International Forest Reserve is our practical response to the 2026 World Tourism Day theme,” he said. He told reporters the projects would rely on documentation, digital visibility and responsible tourism development to prevent Badagry’s artistic, historical and natural assets from being overlooked.
TCI said the art gallery is planned to be Badagry’s first purpose-built art gallery and will house important artworks the organisation has acquired in a secure setting. The facility will also serve as a platform for cultural preservation, artistic appreciation, tourism education and digital storytelling, the club added.
Describing the forest reserve, the club said it is a small but important natural area and the only surviving forested space in the host community. According to TCI, the site is home to a colony of monkeys whose habitat is threatened by unsustainable development. The reserve will be used for environmental education, nature-based tourism and biodiversity conservation, the organisation said.
TCI emphasised that travellers are increasingly using digital platforms and AI tools to pick destinations, and that destinations require verified documentation and digital visibility to show up in AI-generated travel results. The organisation said it will record the gallery, its collections and the stories behind the artworks, and supply visual and location data so Badagry’s cultural and natural assets can be discovered by visitors, researchers and AI-powered travel platforms.
Afterwards, Dr Mbonu-Amadi added, “Artificial intelligence can only recommend destinations that have been properly documented and made visible. By establishing these two sites, TCI is helping to place Badagry more firmly on Nigeria’s tourism map while promoting cultural preservation, environmental responsibility and community participation.”
TCI said it will open the gallery and the forest reserve to the public on a date to be announced. The organisation said the projects form part of ongoing efforts to promote international tourism, support community heritage and encourage responsible visitor management.
Details of funding, ownership structure, site locations and the public opening date were not provided in the statements published by the organisation.
Sources: BusinessDay, Vanguard.
Featured image: ABORISADEADETONA via Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
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