Nigeria’s tourism potential

At a time when it is reported that state governments in Nigeria are facing challenging times, to the extent that their capacities to meet regular salary payments to civil servants may soon come under severe pressure, as oil-driven monthly distributions from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) test new lows, commonsense demands that the states begin to look to other sources of revenue generation. One sure place to look at is tourism.

There is no gainsaying that big revenue opportunities exist in Nigeria’s tourism sector. Apart from the world-class tourist sites, Nigeria’s diverse cultures, its many cultural displays which are rated among the most entertaining in the world, make it a destination of choice. In the same vein, the country, which has been ranked the most visited country on the continent for business tourism, has so much to offer in terms of fashion, music, Nollywood, ecotourism, amongst others. In spite of insecurity ravaging parts of the country, Nigeria is still seen as a fascinating destination.

But more attention needs to be paid to the development and marketing of Nigeria’s tourism potentials. Nigeria can learn from South Africa, a country that has made a great success of the tourism industry. It is said that South Africa so understands the importance of marketing itself as a destination that its adverts always run on in-flight TV screens, including on aeroplanes coming into Nigeria. With over 5,000 visitors every day, for instance, the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg is a huge revenue-spinner for the Southern African country. But so also are the El Mina Castle and Kakum Park in Ghana, Nigeria’s next-door neighbour.

In Nigeria, regrettably, the reverse seems to have been the case. Take the Obudu Mountain Resort in Cross River State, which is adjudged one of the best tourist sites in Africa, yet almost run down by lack of patronage. Many Nigerians have cited accessibility and cost issues as reasons for the low patronage, yet the same Nigerians pay through their nose, queue for visas and go through rigours to visit overseas destinations, such as Dubai, London, Paris, etc. Perhaps it is a case of a prophet having no honour among his people. But again, there is something the government is not doing right.

On this note, the Yankari Game Reserve in Bauchi State easily comes to mind. Today, the wildlife in this reserve, which was rated among top 10 in Africa a few years back, is as good as dead since the state government took over the management from the Federal Government. While insecurity in the northeast may be part of the reason, the fact is that the state’s inability to market the reserve, its failure to employ professionals in its management, and uncontrolled poaching by locals have combined to make the reserve a ghost of its old self.

The same goes for the two World Heritage Sites in Nigeria – Sukur in Adamawa State and Osun Oshogbo Grove in Osun State. Contemporary experience shows that a site attracts overwhelming number of visitors from across the world the moment it is enlisted as a World Heritage Site, but this has not happened in the Nigerian case. Poor marketing, poor packaging, and failure to correct global tourists’ negative perception about Nigeria have been identified by industry close watchers as major debilitating factors to the development of a viable tourism sector in the country.

In 2013, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation headed by Edem Duke launched a tourism brand identity for the country. Regrettably, not much seems to have changed in the sector so far.

We therefore call on the Federal Government, Adamawa, Bauchi, Osun and other states harbouring highly-rated tourist sites to look inwards and turn these products into dollar-spinning ventures, especially in the face of dwindling federal allocations. We believe that virtually every state of the federation has rich tourist destinations that it can market to the world. But first, the country must harness its domestic market potentials, secure the buy-in and confidence of Nigerians in the sector and get Nigerians to be proud of their heritage.

Furthermore, the success of tourism in other countries has been attributed to private sector participation. It is, therefore, time for the government to open up Nigeria’s tourism sector to the private sector through enabling legal frameworks, incentives such as tax holiday, among others. As we always say, the time is now.