Review: Nigeria’s Tourism sector in 2011

Mr Edem Duke

Some tourist attractions in Nigeria

Review: Nigeria’s Tourism sector in 2011
Anulika Menanya, Lagos

Nigeria’s Tourism industry experienced growth in 2011 through the creation of jobs and foreign exchange earnings.

The successes of the industry could be attributed to tireless efforts of individuals, States and the Federal Government.

According to Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, the Tourism sector globally witnessed a gradual improvement in 2012, and was one of the world’s largest and fastest growing industries generating over 10.4% of world GDP, 9.5% of world jobs and 12.2% of world exports.

Nigeria was not an exception as 2011 could be described as a year of consolidation for the tourism industry in Nigeria.

The sector was on the upward trend recording tremendous achievements. The Nigeria economy was boosted through an increase in the establishment of top class hotels to cater for the increase in visitors into the country.

Through the recognition of the tourism industry by government and international agencies, the sector experienced geometric increase which resulted in valuable investment, leading to enabling laws which helped in sustaining and boosting the sector.

Hotels were graded and categorized by the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) based on the hotels infrastructure. Consequently, the arrivals of tourists into the country increased by leaps and bounds.

Revenue worth 80 billion Naira was also generated from series of carnivals like the Lagos carnival, Eyo Festival, Abuja Carnival, as well as the recent Calabar Carnival.

The 2011 edition of the Akwaaba Africa Travel Market (AfTM) held in Lagos, which saw an increase in the number of participating countries, was one of the most successful tourism events that took place in 2011.The event was a step for Nigeria to build a platform for regional markets and to promote Africa and showcase Nigeria’s tourism potentials to the world.

Tourism master plan

In 2011, Nigeria emerged winner of the international Tourism Business Fair with the best exhibitor’s award of the prestigious German University, Cologne Business School.

Nigeria also developed a Tourism master plan to boost tourism and help in the diversification of the nation’s single- product economy.

The Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mr Edem Duke giving an insight on the master plan of the Ministry said: “We are transiting from a master plan to an action plan. First of all, we are going to be addressing the restructuring of the sector in order to institutionalise professionalism and to ensure that we have round pegs and round holes. We will then move from there to look at infrastructural challenges that face Nigeria in terms of its tourism deliverables and we would be exploring culture as enterprise”.

Despite these great achievements in the tourism sector in Nigeria faced several challenges, ranging from poor infrastructure, to the recent security threats to the nation.

The non-release of an intervention fund of 500 billion Naira to develop the industry and empower private participation by the Federal Government slowed down activities in the tourism industry.

The National President of the Federal Tourism Association of Nigeria, Samuel Alabi, believes that the fund would have boosted developments in the sector and the economy. “It is a long term fund, there is moratorium period. If this is made available to tourism industry, our business will grow, we will be able to finance our liabilities and employment generations will come,” Alabi said.

But with the recent approval of the Tourism development fund by the Nigeria President, the sector is set to experience a boost as the approval would enable the ministry seek private sector funding for its tourism development programmes in 2012.

Williams/Cokey