It has been a year of festivities, celebrations, August hosting and happy events in this first half of the year, at the ocean, forest and lagoon recreation and tourist centre at Ibeju-lekki, Lagos, Nigeria, popularly known as La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort.
From the hosting of Nigerian Tourism Minister Ms Lola Ade-John, to the hosting of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, top government officials from different states of the country, Royal Queens, traditional rulers, foreign delegates, African Americans, other nationals, organisation’s fiestas, parties, corporate retreats, couple’s special moments, birthday parties, bonfire nights, milestone events, movie productions, and then on to local and international shows such as African Celebrate, the West African edition, that brought international guests and artistes from other parts of Africa, Europe and America to the resort.
But all that was just scratching the surface, the tip of the iceberg! La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort is today wearing a new look in preparation for the second half of the year, which among other things will be coming with the grand hosting of IPADA CARNIVAL, an annual event that started with IPADA (The Return) few weeks ago, and will culminate into a multiple celebration of events as our brothers and sisters from the Diaspora, Brazil, Europe, America, the Caribbean and all other places, return home in the month of November and December 2024.
IPADA, the return of people of African descent and ancestry, whose great, great, great grand fathers and mother’s, left these shores in slave ships but are now returning in cruise ships and luxurious airlines, to celebrate Africa in Lagos, and from here visit other parts of Africa of their choice.
IPADA Carnival is even bigger than that! That’s because, the celebration is going to feature a Durbar – a royal celebration on the beach sands of La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort, Polo sports fiesta, where also the Most Beautiful African Woman on earth will be chosen and proclaimed, and the Most Impactful person of African descent or Ancestry will be honoured through ‘Ose Awards.’
In readiness, La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort is wearing a new look! The luscious greenery of the sprawling landscape of the outward lay of the entrance into the 65 acres beach resort, has gone more greener, complimenting the lagoon jetty on one hand, and then the huge historical structure, a befitting heritage of the Mansa Musa era of the great Mali empire of (1312 -1337 C.E), on the other hand.
Passing through the Mansa Musa monumental building into the resort, brings a full assurance of one being in a tourism zone, as the tour immediately commences with the story of the richest African of those days in the person of Mansa Musa. The huge edifice with paint splash of gold, bright yellow, red, a touch of black, blue and so on, confirms the resort as a home to arts and creativity.
Guests are ushered into E Kaabo, the rotunda reception where they are formally welcomed in cultural and traditional manner, and attended to by courteous staff, while their eyes take in the displayed fashionable, African stylishly designed clothes and other items from Atunda fashion house. Preparing their minds for an experience of the uniqueness of an Afrocentric styled, African themed resort.
And just like the exterior of the resort, the chalets and the entire landscape has received additional pep up, since you last visited!
The new look La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort is compelling, overwhelming and ecstatic!
Like it is usually commonly said, ‘Seeing is believing! And you are grandly expected at this nature endowed resort, where the perfect marriage of man and nature can be found.
● Paul Ukpabio is Nigeria’s Tourism Writer Of The Year Award Winner (2023)
