Exploring diverse tourism potential for Nigeria’s economic growth
The 2017 tourism report by the World Economic Forum says travel and tourism currently contribute about 2 percent to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Compared to other African countries such as Seychelles, Cape Verde, and Mauritius where the travel and tourism industry has been better harnessed, contributing 20 percent, 17 percent, and 12 percent respectively to GDP, Nigeria is underachieving.
Nigeria recorded a total of 1.3 million international tourist arrivals in 2016; these three countries collectively attracted about two million international tourist arrivals.
According to the Travel and Tourism (T&T) competitiveness published by the World Economic Forum in 2017, Nigeria ranks a low 129 out of 136 globally compared to Ghana and South Africa which rank 120 and 53.
Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI) 2024 says Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region made the most substantial enhancement in TTDI performance since 2019.
Nigeria moved up marginally on the ranking from 113 to 112 with a positive +4.20 percentage change since 2019.
The report covered 119 economies and measured the set of factors and policies that enabled the sustainable and resilient development of Travel and Tourism.
It projected that T&T contributed 9.9 trillion dollars to global GDP in 2023, which was nearly at pre-COVID pandemic levels and revealed the need for stakeholder collaboration to harness the T&T sector’s transformative power.
Factors responsible for this low ranking include lack of priority attention to the industry by the government, poor infrastructure and insecurity.
These have resulted in inertia towards tourism in the country as reflected in an increase in outbound travel to destinations like Ghana and South Africa. The implication is in loss of revenue.
Although successive Nigerian governments did not recognise that tourism is a goldmine, the industry has copiously contributed to the economy.
Attaining towering productivity and profitability in tourism involves synergy at all levels of government. This will manifest in creating an enabling environment for it to thrive and attract domestic and foreign nationals.
This will include improving infrastructure and creating a favourable business environment in Nigeria that will attract local and foreign investors to participate in this industry.
Hospitality industry experts worldwide say tourism has evolved to become one of the fastest-growing industries. This growth has been driven by advanced technology in travel and an increased holiday culture.
With an endowed geographical landscape that comprises coastal beaches, mountains, historical monuments, wildlife, UNESCO-approved heritage centres, and diverse culture, Nigeria should be able to carve a niche in global tourism.
The richness and diversity of Nigeria’s culture have always been cited as a strong reason why tourism should be a major revenue earner for the country.
From East to West, North to South, Nigeria is naturally endowed with rich tourist destinations waiting to be fully explored and exploited.
Stakeholders in the tourism sector at a tourism parliament in Abuja recently argued that it has the capacity to create employment for teaming Nigerian youths and contribute to economic diversification.
The Director-General, National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), Alhaji Sani Kangiwa, said that the relevance of the tourism sector in Nigeria is becoming more glaring by the day.
Kangiwa who was represented at the event by Mr Edwin Enenta, the Director of Tourism Studies at the institute, said that the Nigeria tourism sector has the capacity to create jobs for the teaming population.
He said that tourism is not just about visiting new places, adding that it is a dynamic industry that brings people together, showcases the country’s rich culture and promotes the country’s unique heritage.
“By investing in tourism, we can create new job opportunities for our communities, supporting local artisans, hospitality workers, tour guides and many more.
“Each visitor who comes to experience our attractions contributes to local economies, strengthening businesses and creating a ripple effect of growth,” Kangiwa said.
Gambia High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Mohamadou-Musa Njie, called on the Nigerian government to put policies in place to drive the growth of the country’s tourism sector.
He said that the Gambia government had been able to put policies in place to drive the development of the tourism sector, adding that tourism had the potential to become one of the valuable assets of the country.
Njie appreciated the media which he said have been valuable to the tourism industry through the content they share.
A former Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Mrs Sally Mbanefo, said the industry had the capacity to boost the country’s GDP.
She said what the country needed to get most of the benefits, especially boosting the economic sector, was for it to turn to domestic tourism.
“With the state of the economy where people don’t have money to travel all around the world to tourist attractions, this is the stage, this is the period we need to appreciate what we have.
“We have a lot of tourist attractions and tourism activities in this country.
“We are very lucky that this present government has given us recognition; the government has been able to create a separate ministry; ministry of tourism.
“The ministry was under communication when I was there as the D-G, this is a good step in the right direction.”
Mbanefo said that the creation of the ministry would give maximum opportunity for tourism operators to thrive, which will result in creation of more employment for Nigerians.
“The private sector can now reach out to the ministry; give it the support it needs and this will make everyone feel good.
“Nigeria tourism operators are so resilient, they don’t give up, they keep pushing when it comes to business.
“Look at Abuja, Abuja has fantastic roads, tourism is a community based thing, we still have a lot of tourism sites where there is safety.
“A community without a culture has no history, we will continue to do that until the government catches up with us,” Mbanefo said.
