Lai Mohammed, the minister of information, culture and tourism disclosed this at the opening ceremony of the national summit on culture and tourism in Abuja on Thursday, April 27. The minister described Nigeria’s cultural heritage as a “soft power that can confidently take over the world” adding that it could also promote international diplomacy. 
 

Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors internationally with approximately 1.2 billion international tourists and $1.25 trillion in international tourism receipts worldwide. This gives it a direct influence on many areas such as economic development, employment, environmental awareness, cross-cultural peace and dialogue and country image. [...] Thus, it is a source of honor and pride for us to host EXPO 2016 in Antalya under the theme "Flower and Child" and motto, "A Green World for the Next Generations."

While the field in Metro Vancouver is already crowded with proposed Chinese art museums and facilities [...] “This is a cultural bridge between China and Canada,” Ye said. “First, it’s a place where Canadians can get the most authentic, top-level cultural exhibits from China today. Second, it gives Chinese-Canadians — no matter how many generations they’ve been here — to have a visual and tangible link to what their ancestral culture has to offer.”

Throughout the trip, Chesky describes interactions between Cuban hosts and American guests as “person-to-person diplomacy.” That narrative allows Airbnb travelers to handily comply with the U.S.’s “people-to-people” educational travel visa requirement.

Social entrepreneur and educator Aziz Abu Sarah describes how he came to lead tours in which Jews, Muslims, and Christians cross contested borders to spend time in each others cultures.

Sweden has launched a tourism campaign encouraging people all over the world to call Swedes at random. The country has set up a phone number for the calls.

Film is a cultural diplomacy tool, a trade enabler, a global connector an employment creator. It is also a powerful tool for communication. These were some of the points raised by a delegation to the communications ministries by stakeholders of the film industry, led by the Black Star International film festival (BSIFF)

Country branding is the process of building (and managing) the way a country is perceived by the rest of the world. It is an important component to national development given its effect on global trade, investments, tourism and diplomacy. It also has a profound influence on our sense of identity and national pride.