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TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA: CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS FOR RESOURCE DIVERSIFICATION 11 TH MARCH, 2011. BY MUNZALI A. DANTATA DIRECTOR GENERAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM (NIHOTOUR), ABUJA, NIGERIA www.nihotour.org [email protected] 1 | Page
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TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

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The aim of this paper is to have the tourism sector contribute maximally to the national economy as a major export earner like the petroleum and the agricultural sectors of the economy. This is to be achieved through the appraisal of the tourism resources of the nation and the combination of both natural and human capacities to transform the industry into a job creating and foreign exchange earner that will meet the socio-economic well being of the nation at large.
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Page 1: TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA: CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS FOR RESOURCE DIVERSIFICATION

11TH MARCH, 2011.

BY MUNZALI A. DANTATA DIRECTOR GENERAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM (NIHOTOUR), ABUJA, NIGERIA www.nihotour.org [email protected]

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TABLE OF CONTENT

Abstract 3 Keywords 4 1.0 Preamble 52.0 Problem 63.0 aim and objective 74.0 Review 85.0 tourism resource in Nigeria 116.0 Methodology 197.0 key findings 208.0 analysis of tourism situation in Nigeria 269.0 expected outcome of tourism in Nigeria 2710.0 challenges of tourism resource 2810.0 prospect of diversifying 2911.0 conclusion 3012.0 recommendation 3113.0 references 32

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ABSTRACTThis paper appreciates tourism among other economic sectors as a veritable economic industry that can transform the socio-economic lives of a people that are faced with low per capita income, unemployment, poverty and economic malaise only if the tourism potential resources are identified, harnessed, developed and packaged into a tourist product. The paper sees tourism development and promotion as a way of diversifying the nation’s mono cultural economy. The challenges here are not unconnected with those of unawareness of the large population, lack of leisure time and disposable income, security, financial and economic fraud, poor planning of the sector, non regulation and unco-ordinated approach to tourism matters by the public sector to encourage the private sector especially in pursuit of tourism organisation, development, accessibility, marketing, capacity building, investment, information, funding and legislation among others. The paper also examined prospects of diversifying the industry identifying conducive environment created through the institutional structures to harness the available mass tourism resources in the country, the formulated tourism policy and the development master plan, widespread investments in the travel, hospitality and tourism outfits, attitude of Nigerians towards holiday and travels, existence of political and legislative instruments to fast track tourism programme implementation. The paper conclude that tourism if developed will add value to the national economy through job creation, foreign exchange generation hence solving most social, economic and political problems. Consequently, the paper recommend that despite all the government’s efforts in transforming the tourism industry and the economy, it need a strong political will that shall pursue the backing and funding of the tourism policy, the review and the implementation of the 2006 tourism development master plan to organise and regulate the industry for the well being of the citizens and the nation at large.

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Key words:

Tourism Products Services Resources Development Diversification Market Promotion Policy master plan Challenge

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PREAMBLENigeria covering a total of 923768km2 along the West African Gulf of Guinea is an important centre of biodiversity of tropical rainforest, coastal plains, mangrove and the Savannah zones geographically with a population of about 150 million people.

The fact also remain that the country is mono-economy based in petroleum oil generating over 80% of the nation’s foreign exchange and employing very low labor force as the agricultural sector which the predominant occupation of Nigerians.

Tourism in Nigeria is still in its infancy considering the large accumulation of resources which are yet untapped and the institutional structure which is yet to be regulated to compete favorably with other fast growing tourism destinations. Successive governments have tried in their very best to put the industry in the national economic map but sector could not meet up with the exclusive listing.

Even though rich in ecotourism and business tourism potentials and constrained by figurative and factual analysis to plan development, the political will and legislation are far from regulating the industry to keep abreast with both the national tourism policy and master plan implementation program in line with the United Nations Framework on sustainable tourism development efforts.

The interest in tourism by the Nigeria’s government started way back in the 1960s with the Obasanjo’s regime in 1976 establishing the Nigeria Tourism Board (NTB) now Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) via Decrees No Decree No. 54 of 1976 reviewed to Decree No. 86 of 1991 and giving it a ‘preferred sector’ status respectively. Master Plan on tourism development in Nigeria started way 1982 with a tourism development policy first rolled out in 1990. To further consolidate the quest for quality service delivery in the tourism industry, the government created the Federal Ministry of Tourism and Culture to actualise the dream of catching up with the global train in tourism development.

The Government of Nigerian in her quest to diversify the economy and the tourism industry in particular decided to take some measures towards promoting the travel and tourism sectors. These measures include the establishment of the Presidential Council on Tourism, Federal Ministry of Tourism and its Departments and Agencies with same at the States’ level and Local Tourism Committees which falls in line with the provisions of the National Tourism Policy (NTP) of 2005, the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) of 1992 and the Nigeria Tourism Development Master Plan of 2006.

With the adoption of a Nigeria Tourism Development Master Plan and the National Tourism Council, harnessing tourism resources and diversifying such to compete favorably with other major economic sector given its socio-economic and cultural wellbeing cannot be over emphasized.

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2.0 PROBLEMFor the tourism industry as a sector of the Nigerian economy, it is not in dispute that it has abundance of resources that can diversified to transform the socio-economic lives of the populace yet, the sector’s performance is nowhere in tune with turning the economy into a foreign exchange earner.

The tourism industry’s various sectors are yet to have adequate, quality and standard development efforts including the building of its capacity in the areas of natural resource of the national parks, game reserves, beaches, plateau, forests and other natural spots; transport (either air, land and water); the accommodation with hotel, hostel, shared apartment, guest houses, camps etc); the catering services (i.e. Restaurants, Cafes, fast food shops clubs, bars etc); Entertainment (i.e. Museums, cultural shows, night clubs, drama & dances); souvenir providing works of carvings, weavings, sculptures and various art works including managers and operators of attractions i.e. parks and events i.e conferences, fairs, exhibitions, festivities among others.

Basic among the problems of developing the tourism industry in a bid to diversify the economy include those of:-

- Low level of awareness by the citizens of tourism and its benefits;- Lack of regulatory legislation;- Low disposable income to pursue tourism activities;- Niger Delta and Boko Haram Militancy;- Non professionalization of the industry;- Non implementation of the 2006 Tourism development master plan and- Lack of political will to pursue tourism development to the latter.

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3.0 AIM AND OBJECTIVES The aim of this paper is to have the tourism sector contribute maximally to the national economy as a major export earner like the petroleum and the agricultural sectors of the economy. This is to be achieved through the appraisal of the tourism resources of the nation and the combination of both natural and human capacities to transform the industry into a job creating and foreign exchange earner that will meet the socio-economic well being of the nation at large.

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4.0 REVIEWS

TOURISM From the recommended definition of terms, the United Nations (UN) Statistics Commission and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) (1991), defined tourism to

Includes the activities of people traveling away From their usual environment for leisure Business and other purposes. 

The source further stressed that the activities of these ‘Visitors’ includes:- Purchasing goods and services;- Traveling to, from and within a destination and- Affecting various ways of the natural and social environment.

 The word ‘visitor’ as explained by the body and understood by the researcher is any person traveling to a place other than his usual environment for less than 12 months and whose main purpose of trip is other than the exercise of any activity remunerated from within the place visited. The visitors within the scope of the definition can be seen to be tourism which is a subject of a traveler who undertakes this between two or more localities within their country of usual residence (domestic tourism) or outside their country of nationality (outbound) (cit).

The critical distinction here is that the visitor is away from his/her designate environment to other area different from where they normally live, work and conduct other day to day activities. The implication of this is that these activities involve the demand for services from various sectors of the economy thereby providing for the component travel inputs which qualifies it as an industry (Inskeep: 1999).

 ANTECEDENTS TO TOURISM TRAVELThe main reason why people undertake tourism travel as credited to McIntosh (1974); Medlik et al (1981); Robinson (1976) and UNWTO (1999) are purposely for the following:

Leisure; Recreation; Pilgrimage;Medical treatment;Family affairs; Festival;Sporting events;Conference; andStudies. 

THE TOURISM INDUSTRYInskeep (1991) gave a clear cut distinction of the components of the travel and tourism industry, which is a fundamental base of this research study. Preparatory to the components is the UNWTO (1999) definition of the travel industry which defined the industry as

The composite of organizations both public and private that are involved in the development, Production, distribution, and marketing of products and services to serve the needs of the travelers.

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From the above, it is obvious that the industry is all encompassing being multifaceted and multidimensional in nature as attested from the components of the industry and as identified by Inskeep to include;

 - Transportation: as to whether the tourist travel by air sea or land with adequate facilities and services, these are in the areas as of airport terminals, harbors and road systems.

- Infrastructure: As Inskeep explained, it refers to components found on or below the ground level that provide the basic framework for effective functioning of development systems such as urban areas, industry and tourism. The components further has those basic services to include supply of water, electricity power, sewage and solid waste disposal, drainage and telecommunications which are a few of the critical elements required for the industry to perform efficiently.

- Accommodation: The sector which takes 20% - 30% of the tourist expenditure. This is serviced by various components of the accommodation services to include;

* Bed and breakfast – budget; * Pension Houses;* Youth hostel;* Camp ground; * Recreational vehicle parks and Cruise; * Cruise ships; * Hotel; and * Motel* Etc.

- Food and Beverage component: This sector provides for restaurant, bar and other types of eating and drinking outlets of sizes and services. The business themselves form primary or secondary sources of tourist attractions for destinations such as Lyons, Paris, Rome, Hong Kong, new Orleans abroad and Obudu Ranch, Tinapa Disney World etc in Nigeria.

 - Support service: is the last with shopping facilities and services at the destinations which help fulfill the basic as well as supplementary needs of visitors. The stores which meet the varying demands of the visitors include:

- Souvenir shops;- Duty free stores; - Laundry facilities;- Grocery and department stores; - Tour guide services sport and Recreations retail and rental shops; - Entertainment facilities as Nite-club, opera etc.

Another theorem developed to explain the tourism industry component was put forward by Delphi Panel (1994) stratifying the component to include:

- Hotels and Resorts;- Travels Agents Retails;- Tour Wholesalers;- Tourism marketing; - Cultural Resources Attraction;- National Resources Attraction;- Tourism Administration;- Tourism Transportation; -Conventions and events;

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- Attractions and Entertainments;- Food and Beverages and - Others i.e. consultants etc.*** Adopted from UNWTO (TEDQUAL):1997.

These categorizations are done with the consideration of professional services of distinctions.

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5.0 TOURISM RESOURCES IN NIGERIANigeria is endowed with diverse natural and man made tourism resources some of which are tabulated below:-

Table No.1: TABLE OF TOURISM RESOURCES IN NIGERIA AND LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT

i. ECO-TOURISM: Tourism related to natural resources e.g. flora and fauna i.e. plant and animals:

ATTRACTION LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT

a. Yankari National Park Developedb. Kainji lake National Park, Niger State Developedc. Gashaka/Gumti National Park, Adamawa/Taraba State Developedd. Old Oyo National Park, Oyo State Developede. Chad Basin National Park, Borno State Partially Developedf. Cross River National Park, Cross Rivers State. Developedg. Jos Wildlife Park, plateau State. Partially Developedh. Hadejia/Nguru Wetland and Birds Sanctuary, Edo State. Partially Developedi. Okomu Wildlife Sanctuary, Edo State Partially Developedj. Lekki Conservation Centre, Lagos State Developedk. Drill Ranch, Cross River State Developed

ii. BEACH TOURISM:This tourism is related to coastline and inland waterways in Nigeria. Examples include:

BEACH LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT

a. Bar Beach, Lagos State Partially Developedb. Badagry Beach, Lagos State Partially Developedc. Takwa Beach, Lagos State Partially Developedd. Aiyetoro Maiyegun Beach, Lagos State. Developede. Eleko Beach, Lagos State. Developedf. Lekki Peninsula, Lagos State. Developedg. Port Harcourt Tourist Beach, Rivers State Developedh. Ibeno Beach, Akwa Ibom State Partially Developedi. Nwaniba Beach, Akwa Ibom State Developedj. Uta Ewa Beach, Akwa Ibom State Developedk. James Town Beach, Akwa Ibom State Developedl. Calabar Beach, Cross River State. Developed

iii. NATURAL/PHYSICAL ATTRACTIONS:These include spectacular physical, geographical formulation or features such as:

FALLS LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT

a. Assop Falls, Plateau State Partially Developedb. Gurara Falls, Niger State Not Developedc. Owu Falls, Kwara State Developedd. Matsirga Waterfall, Kaduna State Not Developed

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e. Erin Ijesha Water Fall, Osun State. Partially Developedf. Kwa Falls, Cross River State Partially Developede. Agbokim Waterfall, Cross River State Partially Developedg. Jeffy falls, Borno State Not Developedh. Farin Ruwa Water falls, Wamba Nassarawa State Not Developed

ROCK FORMATIONS LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT

a. Olumo Rock, Ogun State Partially Developedb. Zuma Rock, Niger State Not Developedc. Shere Hills, Plateau State Partially Developedd. Riyom Rock, Plateau State Not Developede. Oke Maria, Ondo State Not Developedf. Aso Rock, Federal Capital Territory Partly Developed.

HILL/HIGHLANDS LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT

a. Mambila Plateau, Taraba State Not Developedb. Obudu Cattle Rank, Cross River State Developedc. Idanre Hills, Ondo State Partly Developed

CAVES/TUNNELS LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT

a. Marshall Caves, Yankari, Bauchi State Not Developedb. Kwantarwoshi Cave, Zamfara State Not Developedc. Ogbunike Cave, Anambra State Partly Developed

SPRINGS LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT

a. Ikogosi Warm spring, Ekiti State Developedb. Wikki Warm Spring, Yankari, Bauchi State Developed

iv. MAN-MADE ATTRACTIONS:These are tourist attractions created by man’s ingenuity and they include the following:

THEME (AMUSEMENT) PARK LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT

a. Trans Amusement Park, Ibadan, Oyo Developedb. Water Parks, Ikeja, Lagos State Developedc. Frankid Amusement Park, Festac Town, Lagos State Developedd. Hills and Valleys Amusement Park, D/Kudu, Kano State Partly Developed

RESORTS/HEALTH FARMS LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT

a. Whispering Palms, Iworo-Badagry, Lagos State Partially Developedb. International Youth Tourism Center, Kurra Falls, Plateau Partially Developedc. Seam Health Farm, Idiriki, Ogun State Partly Developedd. Murtala Mohammed Botanical Garden, Lagos Developede. Helena Farms, Jos Partially Developedf. Rojeny Toursim Village, Oba Anambra State Partly Developed

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g. Chama Park, Jibiya Katsina Partly Developedh. Abuja Gardens, Abuja Developed

ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT

a. U.I. Zoological Gardens, Ibadan Developedb. Audu Bako Zoo, Kano Developedc. Jos Zoo Developedd. O.A. University Zoo, Ile-Ife Developed

v. CULTURAL TOURISMThese are tourism activities based culture and relgious beliefs. Some of these are:

FESTIVALS LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT

a. Argungu Fishing Festival, Kebbi State Partially Developedb. Osun/Osogbo Festival, Osun State Developedc. Kano/Katsina Durbars Developedd. Mmanwu Festivals Enugu/Amabra State Developede. Ikeji Festival, Arondizuogo, Imo State Developedf. Ovia Osese Festival, Ogoni Mangogo, Kogi State Developedg. Sharo Festival of the Fulanis, Nothern States Partially Developedh. Awon Mass Wedding, Shao, Kwara State Developedi. Eyo Festival, Lagos State Developedj. Igue Festival, Benin-city, Edo State Developed

MUSEUMS AND MONUMENTS LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT

a. Owo museum, Ondo Developedb. National Museum, Lagos Developedc. National War Museum, Abia Developedd. Ife Museum, Ilfe Ife Developede. Jos Museum Developedf. Jos Museum Developedg. Musem of Natural History, Owerri Developedh. Gidan Makama Museum, Kano Developedi. National Museum, Benin City Developedj. Oro-Esie Stone Image, Kwara State Developedk. Nok Terra Cota, Kaduna Developedl. Gobirau Minaret, Katsina Developed

PALACES LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT

a. Emir of Kano’s Palace Developedb. Emir of Zaria’s Palace Developedc. Ooni’s Palace Ile Ife Developedd. Iga Idungaran (Oba’s palace) Lagos Developede. Alaafin of Oyo’s Palace Developedg. Erediauwa’s (Oba of Benin) Palace Developed

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ARTS AND CRAFTS LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT

a. Naraguta Leather Works, Jos Developedb. Igun Bronze Casting, Benin City Developedc. Kofar Mater Dyeing Pits, Kano Developedd. Calbash Carving, Owodo-oyo, Oyo State Developede. Brass works, Bida, Niger State Developedf. Adire Cloths (Itoko) Abeokuta Developedg. Mat weaving, Osun Developedh. Aso Oke Weaving, Iseyin, Oyo State Developedi. Akwete Weaving Centre, Abia Developed

Source: Fed. Min. Culture & Tourism:1998.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF TOURISM FOR NIGERIATourism is described as a network of activities of persons who travel to and stay at destinations outside their normal places of residence and work for pleasure, business and other purposes. Such activities are inclusive of that of those who provide visitors with the enabling environments for the sojourn to take place for mutual benefits (UNWTO, 1999). The visitors benefit from the sojourn through the ability of the destination product and service delivery to satisfy their felt needs

The host on the other hand benefit from the income generated from the services provided to meet the needs of the visitors, the employment and investment opportunities created by the provision of such services, as well as the stimulation of the practice of local cultures, traditions, arts and crafts and cuisine of the host population.

The principal conclusions from the analysis of the economic impact of Tourism on the economy of Nigeria are: * Spending by international tourists has a direct impact on the national economy estimated at US$280m/N36b.

* Downstream economic impacts from the “export” revenues of international tourist spending are estimated to generate additional gross revenue of US$224m/N29b.

* While the incidence of domestic leisure travel may be low, the sheer size of Nigeria’s population means that there is a significant contribution to the demand for tourism services from domestic travel activity. The revenue value of this impact is unknown. * The revenue generated from travel within the country by employees and staff of Federal Government departments and agencies generates a demand for an estimated US$68m/N8.8b of transport and hospitality sectors. * State governments also make a considerable contribution to the transport and hospitality sector in the undertaking of official travel activities. The revenue value of this impact is unknown.

* The contribution to government revenue from VAT levies on the Hospitality sector, recorded at N1.149 million in 2004, is considered to grossly understate the actual level of revenue

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received. Company Income tax generated by the Hospitality sector was recorded at N313 million in the 2005 year, the first year such a breakdown was available. More to the above, the implementation of the Development Plan in Tourism Cluster development will disperse the economic benefits from tourism activity. The economic benefits from tourism activity will be spread much wider and to a greater proportion of the population than is currently the case. Again, the demand for labour will receive a very significant stimulus from implementation of the proposed Development Plan.

The reality on ground is that tourism has become one of the most important global industries of today. With the increasing ease of travel and smoothness of movement across international boundaries, the tourism sector boasts of being the world’s biggest export earner generating enormous foreign exchange earnings and employment. It is no longer in doubt that tourism has become a catalyst for growth in many countries like Australia, Cyprus, Kenya, etc, as it brings in substantial revenues for governments whilst stimulating greater investments in infrastructure which ultimately contributes to improved living conditions for the people.

Between the years 2000-2006, tourism was the second largest foreign exchange earner after manufacturing for the Malaysian Government. 2006 saw a 6.8% growth rate in tourist arrivals in Malaysia with a13.5% increase in receipts. In terms of employment, it is estimated that this industry accounts for a remarkable 1,344,000 jobs of which 492,320 are direct employment.

Also according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), worldwide, forecasts an expected 1.6 billion tourist arrivals worldwide by 2020. This of course will translate to billions of Dollars in revenue for benefiting countries. One then wonders what is hampering the full development of tourism in Nigeria. Of the estimated 1.6 billion tourists arrivals projected for 2020 which will generate billions of foreign exchange, how many is Nigeria expecting?

Nigeria and indeed Africa is well known for their ‘more than the usual’ hospitality. The traditional Nigerian society dwells richly in welcoming guests, strangers and visitors using various approaches and means. Locations such as beaches ideal for different kinds of games, unique wildlife, vast strips of unspoiled nature ranging from tropical forest, magnificent waterfalls and great artworks showcasing lifestyle and creativity of the Nigerian people.

Some of these natural locations, sights and sounds of the people have been developed into tourism sites widely sought after by local and foreign tourists. The tourist’s sites which have attracted good number of visitors include Obudu Cattle Ranch in Calabar, Mambilla Plateau in Taraba State, Yankari Game Reserve in Bauchi State, Oguta Lake in Imo State, Lagos Sunburn Yatch Hotel. Beautiful festivals include, the Osun Osogbo Festival, The Argungu Fishing Festival, Ine Festival in Delta State, The Iwa-Akwa festivals in Imo State, Idumangi Olali,in Okpoama, Brass, Bayelsa State, etc. However, most of these tourists’ attractions are either fully or yet to be developed.

In the Hospitality sector, great developments have been experienced through the dogged determination of Nigerian Investors who own almost all the hotels in Nigeria. In almost every corner of the country, there is a hospitality outfit servicing a certain group of customers, providing employment and contributing to the overall development of there host states. International brands like Hilton, Sofitel, Novotel, Le meridien, Protea, Radison SAS, etc, adorn the country’s hospitality fabric with splendid brands providing international attitude to the sector.

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With the latest reports on oil prices in the International market and the current global recession crisis, Nigeria still dependent on oil as its major source of revenue needs an urgent diversification of its revenue generation sources. The Governors of Imo, Niger and Delta, Bayelsa States have advocated the diversification of our economy through tourism, agriculture, etc. Uduaghan of Delta State has severally said that he is committed to delivering a ‘Delta without oil’. He believes that Delta can become a model following in the steps of Singapore (a Nation that generates huge revenue from tourism).

Few years ago, while making presentations to the Speaker of the House, Prof Soludo raised a very pertinent issue on the adverse effects of Obama’s plan for alternative energy sources to Oil on Nigeria. No doubt, this policy statement by Obama may likely affect Nigeria’s Vision 20-2020. In his views, the Governor of Imo State of Nigeria Ikedi Ohakim while responding to a question on the future of oil in Nigeria in Nigeria’s This Day newspaper of 24 January, 2009 said “…the shrinking oil prices may as well be a blessing in disguise if we must take a hint. This country is blessed with abundant resources that could be harnessed to kick start a non-oil money based economy. Oil really made us lazy. I believe it is just a distraction which we must shake off now”.

Given the potentials in the country’s tourism and hospitality sector, there is a pressing need to revamp and develop the sector. So far, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the Nigeria Tourism Development Commission, must be commended for the growth witnessed so far in the ministry. However, it is expected that, fresh ideas on how to address issues such as adequate infrastructure, security, friendlier policies, etc should be looked into.

Fortunately, the market is massive given the vast population of this country and the fact that Nigerians love life and enjoyment-a people known as the happiest people in the world. Trevor Ward, an experienced hospitality consultant, and currently the award winner of African Investor’s 2008 Tourism Investor Adviser of the year in one of his article positioned that “Tourism is a potential growth sector for Nigeria. The country’s natural, historic and cultural assets are extraordinary, and can easily be exploited by eager entrepreneurs. The most readily accessible market is the domestic one, with evidence that the new generation has a much higher propensity to spend money on leisure activities than their parents.”

Given the above, tourism should be seen and positioned as a fast-track tool towards the actualization of Vision 20-2020. There is also a great need to encourage foreign investments in this sector. There are very limited presence of foreign investment in Nigerian Tourism which may be traceable to long term rate of return, and few of the challenges we mentioned above. Governments at all levels must strive to build partnerships that will attract major foreign investors into tourism. Government should also have a framework for structural change to more effectively support Nigeria’s tourism industry. Therefore, urgent action is required to improve tourism information, research and forecasts to more effectively serve the needs of the industry and help likely investors and tourists in addition to a complete re-branding domestic and international marketing

NIGERIA AGENDA 21 REFORM AND TOURISM RESOURCE DIVERSIFICATION

Against the background of this philosophy, the government of Nigeria strived to consolidate on the reform and tackle it holistically hence, coming up with what is tagged “Agenda 21”. It is worth noting that the agenda is a combination of selected policies of the Abacha, Abudlsalam and Obansanjo’s dreams. This information was provided by the government of Nigeria to the 5 th, 7th

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and 8th sessions of the United Nations (UN) Commission on Sustainable Development with the caption “Economic Aspects of Sustainable Development in Nigeria in April 1999. The Agenda 21 of the Obansanjo’s era focused on eight critical areas viz:

• International Co-operation;• Trade;• Changing consumption patterns;• Financing;• Technology;• Industry;• Transport and• Sustainable Tourism. 

REFORM AGENDA AND THE TOURISM INDUSTRYTo be more specific, the researcher’s interest which is Nigeria’s tourism Sector matters. The 5 th

session of the UN Commission report (1997) indicated that the Government of Nigeria provided a blue print on “Sustainable Tourism” which was adopted by the Obasanjo administration. The agenda on tourism covers the areas of;

• Co-ordinating bodies – (Decision making);• Legislation and Regulation; ’’• Strategies, Policies and Plan ’’• Major groups involvement ’’• Programmes and projects• Status (of the industry)• Challenges• Capacity building - Education, Training and awareness raising• Information;• Research and Technology;• Financing; and• Co-operation.

However, this paper looks at some aspects that need further expatiations on the adopted strategies. These include the following:- STATUS OF TOURISM:The status of tourism in the agenda as ascribed to the Nigerian tourism industry in 1999 is that it plays a potential vital role in the country’s economy including;

• Employment creation;• Generation of foreign exchange;• Attraction of investors;• Updating of people’s knowledge;• Cross fertilization of technological and educational know-how;• Cultural interaction;• Promotion of cultural awareness; and • Rural and Urban integration. 

 CAPACITY BUILDING:One of the cardinal aspects of the sustainable tourism agenda is capacity building - education, training and awareness raising. The provisions stated that available training facilities for employees in the tourism industry are geared towards assisting them in understanding, applying and promoting sustainable tourism in the areas of:

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• Establishment of schools to train tourism officers and those in the hotels and hospitality industry;

• Introduction of department of tourism in colleges of Technology;• Inclusion of tourism in the educational curriculum in tertiary and university levels; and• Establishment of conservation schools.

CHALLENGES TO THE REFORMIn reviewing the reform agenda of the present administration, the Information Ministry remarked that the government was straight forward in its submission when it stated via its website page “Nigeria Direct” that ‘‘in striving to achieve the reform agenda ……………the challenges envisaged include:

- Entrenched practices and prejudices that need to be changed; - Lack of adequate public understanding and awareness; - Inadequate statistical data for planning; - Anticipated fight back by apparent loser;

- Lack of enough commitment to the total realization of reform; - Ability to create a convenient environment for private sector participation; and - Political insecurity’’.

For the tourism industry, it was further remarked that the challenges most visible in addition to the above are:• Lack of adequate awareness;• Economic constraints for effective monitoring and enforcement;• Inadequate finance and banking services;• Development of infrastructure. (UN Commission: 1999).

NIGERIA POLICY ON TOURISM DEVELOPMENT

The policy is a guide for action. The Nigeria tourism industry has been on the road map for development over time. This is evident in the provisions of a road map for the harmonisation and diversification of the tourism resources. In 1990, a tourism developments policy was established and was partially implemented due to non implementation of the provisions. It was also seen to be a toothless bulldog for the fact that it was not been funded for action.Nonetheless, the policy made provisions upon which the 2005 reviewed policy was made more proactive to tourism development needs in Nigeria.

The 2005 reviewed Tourism policy provided for a mandate; Policy Thrust, institutional framework; funding among others with the 2006 Nigeria Tourism Development Master Plan designed along the policy guide.

THE NIGERIA TOURISM DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN (2006)

In the Nigeria Tourism Development Master Plan of 2006, tourism diversification strategies are stressed with interests covering all the tourism policy and development matters. The document produced in three volumes touched most aspects to do with sustainable tourism development in line with global best practices.

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6.0 METHODOLOGYThe methods adopted for this paper is the application of the documentary and observation approaches. A good understanding of the industry and the events that happen on daily basis to the administration and operations in the industry has given to the facts presented here. Researches on the internet, documented profiles and field works have enriched the paper.

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7.0 KEY FINDINGSGiven what is seen at the present situation is the attention on the sector by the present administration that is making efforts to position tourism as a major contributor to the national economy. The review and implementation of the tourism development master plan of 2006 from 2010 as against 2007 indicates a wake up effort.

The issue of governance that will administer the sector has also seen the resuscitation of the Presidential Council on Tourism which is to be chaired by His Excellency the President and Commander-in-Chief and the Tourism Steering Committee which is chaired by the Honourable Minister are very important in ensuring the implementation of the Master Plan and to the future of the industry in Nigeria.

The Federal Ministry for Culture and Tourism needs UNWTO and foreign partner strengthening to fulfill its role in securing the necessary Federal investment, target setting and monitoring. Here too, the need for economists, planners and personnel with statistics and industry experience are much in demand to fulfill the industry.

Meeting the desires of the industry to make Nigeria the ultimate tourist destination requires that some Parastatals of the ministry are to be restructured and upgraded to meet global practices.

The commercial sector is also seen to lack the much needed strong single voice to articulate its needs to government. The overall state of the commercial sector of the tourist industry and the lack of government support and the multi taxation of the industry underline the need for a strong single industry voice

Despite the existence of a number of funding schemes targeting SME enterprises and available to applicants in the tourism sector, the conditions are currently too restrictive to effectively foster investment in the sector. The conditions and process to obtain Bank of Industry funding need to be made simpler and more accessible.

The collection and compilation of tourism statistics is as well discovered to be scanty and needs urgent improvement. The reliability of the current statistics is extremely low and no information was available on tourists spending and overall tourist revenue for the country.

The total number of international air visitors to Nigeria in 2004 (the benchmark year) is estimated at 190,000. The level of spending by international tourists in 2004 is estimated to be N 36 billion (US$ 280million).

Between 2007 and 2010, the receipts on International tourism have been some what progressive as seen presented below:-

Table No. 2: STATISTICS ON NIGERIA TOURISM CONSUMER RECEIPTS (2007-2010)

PARAMETER 2007 2008 2009 2010TOURISM RECEIPTS ($M)

213 221 240 259

Sources: Consumer International, 2011. New Arab Consumer, 2011.

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* It is important to note that these receipts are from international tourist alone excluding those from the sea and land borders.* Domestic figures on national tourism activities are not available for analysis.

Table No.3: CONTRIBUTION OF ECONOMIC SECTORS TO GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (2009)

SECTOR CONTRIBUTION(100%)Hotel & Restaurant 0.49%Telecommunication 3.67%Manufacturing 4.19%Building 1.98%Crude Petroleum/Nat. Gas

16.05%

Solid Mineral 0.38%Finance/Insurance 3.71%Agriculture 41.84%Wholesale/Retail 18.16%Others 7.04%Source: Nigeria National Bureau of Statistics, 2009.

The performance of the hotel and restaurant sub sector of the tourism industry is quite dismal but should receipts from other sub sectors like the travels and transport, tourism sites and resorts, souvenirs and other support services like banking, insurance etc

To be effective and efficient in stimulating investment in development of the tourism clusters, the current conditions of the funding schemes for Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SME) companies is not responsive and will need to be amended as they are too complicated and difficult for SMEs.

It is quite disturbing to find out that of the huge investments in the tourism industry in Nigeria, most projects of this economic sector had not been successful in securing incentives for a proposed investment. The same applies to the mandated fund available through the Bank of Industry for lending to SME enterprise. This as a result of complicated application processes and the inability of people in the sector to prepare adequate business plans.

The current marketing approach is also seen to be very weak. The marketing of Nigeria as a tourist destination is under funded and lacks a strategic marketing approach. The marketing collaterals are not up to international standards while they are informative they are not customer friendly. A survey of tour operators in the UK, Europe and the United States of America indicated a lack of information or knowledge about Nigeria as a tourist destination.

Air transport capacity (both external and internal) is fairly satisfactory to meet the needs of tourism growth in the immediate future. The safety aspect of the internal air transport has recently become a matter of concern. The international airports terminal buildings are satisfactory, however the runways and other airport facilities need upgrading and repairs. The domestic terminals are poor and need modernisation.

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The road network is fairly adequate with some exceptions of the roads to tourist sites which are being addressed. City taxis need to be upgraded and fitted with meters. The rail network will not serve or have any impact on tourism in the near future.

The visa regime as it is currently operated is a fairly improved with tourist visa introduced for tourists to Nigeria in a bid to be tourism friendly.

The range and number of festivals, events and sites can be a highly marketable product but they require some strategic improvement to make them more marketable. Event management needs to be professional, spectator facilities; safety, access and parking need improvement.

Internationally operated hotels are currently providing a high quality product to the business market. The spare capacity that currently exists at these properties are yet to be offered to tour operators at favourable rates. Private locally operated hotels are currently performing poorly but an opportunity exists for the development of more good quality professionally managed “boutique” hotels that are capable to develop niche markets.

Government bodies are still operating hotels as they are not providing an acceptable quality and such hotels would be best managed by the private sector.

Accommodation and catering facilities are not fully developed at the National Parks and the management of accommodation and catering at the National Parks should be privatized.

The conference facilities in the capital cities are seen to be fairly located. There is a need to encourage private sector local conference management companies in Abuja to provide a professional conference service and organize social events for delegates and spouses. The public section is not equipped to provide the professionalism required.

The human resources capabilities of the tourism and hospitality sectors are lagging far behind in terms of quality, standards and skills delivery. There is a lack of balance between management and supervisory training and craft skills training. The numbers receiving craft skills training need to be greatly increased as institutions have management programmes dominating the list of programmes run.

The various education providers do not specify skills or programme outcomes. There is no way of ensuring consistent delivery of quality outcomes nor is there any way for auditing the quality of outcomes of the various training and education institutions. The conditions in the training institutes are very poor, dirty, ill equipped, badly maintained and are under-funded. The management and staff morale is poor and at a low level. A number of institutions train their course attendees in theoretical aspects but have no on-site practice training facilities.

There is a significant shortage of suitably qualified instructors, teachers and lecturers across the teaching faculty. They also lack industry experience and an international aspect. The consequence is that the teaching methods and course content are out of date.

The foregoing is an overview of the current situation in tourism and of the issues that currently exist and are discussed thus:-

MASTER PLAN’S STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATIONS

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The Master Plan’s strategic recommendations are meant to determines the direction, methodology and actions the government must take if tourism is to become a profitable and sustainable economic activity linked to the governments overall policy of development through institutional capacity building.

The development of a vibrant tourism industry will rest with a range of actions and implementation processes which shows the way forward through a series of recommendations and action plans as well as the implementation processes necessary to make them work. The following is a summary of some key recommendations from which the Action and Implementation Programme evolves:-

Positioning Nigeria Tourism: That Nigeria adopts a clear identifiable positioning as a cultural and regional conference destination in the tourism marketplace;

Tourism Clusters: The development of tourism should be concentrated in five clusters. The five clusters are:- Tropical Rainforest ; Conference Capital; Atlantic Gateway; Scenic Nature and Sahara Gateway

Product Development: Market led quality products should be developed for international, regional and domestic tourists

Flagship Tourism Projects: Within each tourism cluster, flagship projects should be developed to act as tourism icons and as a catalyst for all further development of tourism within the cluster. The Flagship Projects proposed are:

Tinapa Business, Leisure and Conference Resort (Tropical Rainforest) Cross River Tropical Rainforest (Tropical Rainforest) Development of Conference, Meetings and Event Management Capability (Conference Capital) Farin Ruwa Eco Tourism Project (Conference Capital) Olokola Cultural Resort (Atlantic Gateway) Museum of Traditional Nigerian Architecture (Scenic Nature) Ancient City of Kano (Sahara Gateway)

Sites of Regional Significance: Investment resources should be allocated to a number of sites of regional significance which are unique to Nigeria and offer the country a competitive advantage

Accommodation: Encourage the development of international three star hotels. The management and operation of all accommodation units be privatized and that privately owned “Boutique” hotels be encouraged. Implement hotel classification as a development as well as a marketing tool

The Environment: Each State Government should appoint a Waste Management Officer to establish and implement a waste management system involving the general public, Local Governments and private waste management enterprises. The development of tourism products should be preceded by an environment impact study. Planning and the protection of cultural assets and heritage sites requires the co-ordination of the three tiers of government and particularly local governments.

Safety and Security: Establish the Tourism Security Committee to coordinate the security aspects of tourism

HIV/AIDS: Advice notices for tourists on HIV / Aids be produced and distributed through hotels and other outlets. All promotional activities be aimed at attracting responsible tourists

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Arts and Crafts: Reconstitute the National Crafts Council. Establish design centres and mobile clinics introducing standards and quality control

Festivals and Events: Promote the initial Calendar of Festivals and agree annual dates Improve spectator facilities and crowd control where needed. Develop a new national cultural show with the National Dance Troupe to be based in the new Culture & Tourism Centre

National Parks: Strengthen the protection role of the National Parks Service. Implement the recommendations made for the individual parks within the clusters

Access and Internal Transport: Perimeter fencing should be erected at all airports. Safety requirements should be fully implemented for all domestic aircraft and air traffic

Marketing: A significant increase in marketing expenditure will be required to overcome the lack of awareness of Nigeria as a tourist destination and the very poor image of the country in the main international markets. A budget of US$15million over five years (2006-2010) is the minimum recommended for marketing purposes.

Target Markets: Marketing activities will be focused on the following target markets which are considered to offer the best prospects for Nigeria International – United Kingdom, Western Europe, USA, South America, Caribbean Regional - ECOWAS, South Africa.

Market Segments: Marketing activities will be focused on the following market segments which are considered to offer the best prospects for Nigeria:- - Leisure – New Experience Seekers, Diaspora, Expatriate Community, Family

Holidays - Business – Conference/Meetings - Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) - Other – Religious Crusades, Sporting Events, Shopping

Marketing Approach: The overall marketing approach for tourism in Nigeria will be to create a range of holiday packages and market these packages directly to international tour operators and regional travel agents for inclusion in their holiday pogrammes. A major promotional and public relations campaign will also be undertaken to counteract the country’s negative image

Branding: A new brand for Nigeria Tourism will be put in place which will project a new vibrant image for Nigeria

Partnership: All marketing activities will be part of an integrated marketing plan and implemented in partnership with the industry.

Capacity building: Establish a National Institute for Culture and Tourism to research, plan and oversee education and training for the culture and tourism sector. Establish Abuja College of Culture and Tourism Studies aimed at becoming the premier tourism and cultural college serving West Africa.

Legislation: New legislation be enacted identifying clear roles for the federal and state agencies in tourism.

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Nigeria Tourism Authority: In line with best practice establish Nigeria Tourism Authority to implement government tourism policy.

Convention Bureau: For the promotion of Nigeria as a regional conference and meetings destination establish the Abuja Visitor and Convention Bureau within the structure of the Nigeria Tourism Authority

Visa Regime: The requirement to obtain a single entry visitor visa for a stay of up to one month should be removed for nationals of tourist producing countries and potential tourist producing countries where it is deemed that migrant workers will not be seeking jobs in Nigeria

Tourism Satellite Account: To produce a Tourism Satellite Account for Nigeria in 2008 the following should be implemented, starting in 2006 • Introduce redesigned migration forms • Implement twice-yearly airport exit surveys • Include domestic travel in the household omnibus survey programme • The NTA implement simplified surveys at major land borders • The NTA implement surveys into niche markets within Nigeria • The Central Bank and other agencies to be strongly involved.

Incentives and Investment Programme: The recommended incentives should be put in place and promulgated including:- *Soft Loans *Tax Incentives *Grant Scheme *Pioneer status *Duty Free Import of equipment *Land at concessionary rate *Surety of foreign loans. The existing disincentives should be removed or consolidated.

Tourism Management Information System: Implement an efficient TIS including information on visitor numbers, characteristics, behaviour and spending. Collect employment statistics, accommodation occupancy rates and then analyse and promulgate findings

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8.0 ANALYSIS OF TOURISM SITUATION IN NIGERIANigeria, although rich in natural and man-made tourism resources, has failed to diversify its economy, and has been unable to ensure that economic benefits of sustainable development have reached all sectors of the community. In many countries tourism has been found to be an appropriate industry to support in order to diversify economies and work towards poverty alleviation through job creation in rural areas. Nigeria, although well endowed with both natural and manmade attractions, has failed to achieve any significant position as a tourist destination for foreign visitors, or been able to develop any substantial domestic tourism sector.

There is a requirement for a modern Federal policy for tourism that can translate to State and local level as well as a clear planning structure for the Nigerian tourism sector. Nigeria needs improved technical and management skills within the tourism sector, and to make better and more cost effective use of training resources. Improved data gathering within the tourism sector is essential, as this will have impacts in better physical and infrastructural planning, better targeted marketing, and a greater awareness of the benefits of tourism to the Nigeria.

Apart from the Federal and State Governments, and existing tourism enterprises, direct beneficiaries will be the towns and communities participating in the development of tourism. Within these communities, the direct recipients of increased income will be; tour guides; handicraft producers and sellers; taxi operators; caterers; accommodation providers; and persons employed on the maintenance of community tourism facilities. Other local enterprises serving tourism areas (particularly small shops, restaurants/bars, and farmers) will benefit from increased demand for goods and services because of enhanced spending power in local communities. Further positive impacts for the building sector are anticipated as beneficiaries seek to develop visitor accommodation of international standards and to improve their own dwellings.

Increases in visitor numbers (due to the implementation of marketing strategies and prioritisation of plans and programmes) will provide additional revenue at governmental level through greater taxation revenue resulting from increases in stop-over and day visitors who wish to experience the various tourist attractions, while the wider tourism sector of Nigeria (hotels, restaurants, car rental companies, retail outlets, airlines, facility operators etc) will also experience increased demand.

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9.0 EXPECTED OUTCOME OF TOURISM TO NIGERIA As part of the outcome and the framework expected of the development pan, the industry will:-* Additional assistance in poverty reduction, particularly in provincial centres;* New development opportunities for women and young people; * Strengthened national capacity for policy and programme implementation; * Better management of national resources and * Improved sector governance. .Hence, the outcome indicator and targets shall include the following:- * Establishment of baseline data for the tourism sector * . Improved structure for tourism governance in Nigeria * . Increased numbers of domestic and foreign tourists by a minimum of 50% within five

years * . Increased numbers of people employed in the tourism sector by a minimum of 40%

within five years * . Increased economic growth in the tourism sector above GDP growth rates

The applicable Strategic Area of Support will have the following:- * Poverty eradication programme through capacity building of national institutions, and expanding and reinforcing the skills development programme for skills acquisition and business and entrepreneurship development.

* The partnership Strategy further will be to support the development of an effective partnership between Federal and State tourism authorities and private sector tourism enterprises.

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10.0 CHALLENGES OF TOURISM RESOURCE DIVERIFICATIONThe challenges envisaged with the diversification of the tourism resources aside those discussed earlier include but not limited to the following:-

Lack of interest by the public sector to fund awareness campaign to encourage the populace to embrace the tourism art and practice to harness the resources;

The pursuit of tourism activities is seen as an elitist hence majority of the lower strata of the society find no reward in its pursuit;

Entrenched practices and prejudices of the population towards tourism resource are difficult to imbibe;

Lack of adequate public understanding and awareness; Inadequate statistical data for planning; Non regulation of the industry and anticipated fight back by apparent losers; Lack of enough commitment to the total realization of reform; Ability to create a convenient environment for private sector participation; Political insecurity; Economic constraints for effective monitoring and enforcement; Inadequate finance and banking services; Development of infrastructure; Inadequate disposable income to motivate travel to and participation; Non implementation of tourism policy and the development master plan; Aggressive pursuit of government laws without adequate awareness creation

resulting to friction with the services providers e.g the celebrated case of Hotel Registration matter between FG and Lagos State Government among others;

Non established market for the tourism resources through researches; Low political will to pursue the cause of tourism to be given recognition as a major

contributor to national economy;

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11.0 PROSPECTS OF DIVERSIFYING TOURISM RESOURCESThere are prospects for the diversification of the tourism resources for development. These can be summarised thus:-

Existence of institutional or administrative structure and framework at the three tiers of government to create conducive environment for the development of tourism resources at the Federal, State and Local Government levels;

The existence of the industry blue print which is translated into the policy on tourism promulgated in 2005 to guide tourism resource development;

The production of the Nigeria Tourism Development Master Plan rolled out in 2006 to lead the part for tourism development in the country;

Legislation of the industry are fairly adequate in some States and Federal levels; Investment opportunities abound in most locations of Nigeria in tourist services; Rich attitude of Nigerian who love to travel; Mass travels to Nigeria in pursuit of business endeavours and visiting friends and

relatives; Creation of mass jobs from various the tourism resources for the teaming

unemployed population which will in turn reduce poverty level.

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12.0 CONCLUSIONTourism is an industry with abundant potential for growth. It creates employment, generates income including foreign exchange and increases tax revenue. Apart from the financial gains the environment is conserved and beautified whilst funds are expended on infrastructural development thereby enabling both visitors and locals derive benefits from a sustainable national tourism policy-when put in place and appropriately implemented.

Creation of an appropriate legal frame work is essential. As indicated above some of Nigeria’s existing laws would need to be reviewed to ensure that the legal environment is favourable to the development of Nigeria as a preferred tourist destination. Furthermore enforcement of legislation is essential and appropriate enforcement machinery will need to be put in place.

The principal conclusions from the analysis of the economic impact of Tourism on the economy of Nigeria conducted by the project are:

Spending by international tourists has a direct impact on the national economy. Downstream economic impacts from the “export” revenues of international tourist spending are estimated to generate additional gross revenue. While the incidence of domestic leisure travel may be low, the sheer size of Nigeria’s population means that there is a significant contribution to the demand for tourism services from domestic travel activity. The revenue value of this impact is unknown. The revenue generated from travel within the country by employees and staff of Federal Government departments and agencies generates a demand need to be encouraged.

State governments also make a considerable contribution to the transport and hospitality sector in the undertaking of official travel activities. The revenue value of this impact is unknown. The contribution to government revenue from VAT levies on the Hospitality sector, recorded is considered to grossly understate the actual level of revenue received including that of Company Income tax generated by the Hospitality sector. Implementation of the Tourism Development Master Plan in Tourism Cluster development will disperse the economic benefits from tourism activity. The economic benefits from tourism activity will be spread much wider and to a greater proportion of the population than is currently the case. Demand for labour will receive a very significant stimulus from implementation of the proposed Tourism Development Master Plan. The future for tourism in Nigeria is dependent on the opportunities and challenges being exploited and addressed. The diversity of cultural attractions, the friendly disposition of the people, a revamped National Tourism Organisation, Human Resources Development and new Convention Bureau provide key opportunities.

Implementation of the Tourism Development Master Plan will be a major challenge for the government and industry, as will changing the international image of Nigeria. Improving the quality of the product and facilities and putting in place a comprehensive training programme will require a very strong partnership between the public and private sectors. If the opportunities and potentials, which Nigeria has, are exploited and the challenges met, substantial investment in planned and strategic marketing of Nigeria as a desirable tourist destination will be required and will pay positive and substantial dividends.

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13.0 RECOMMENDATIONS

In a bid to diversify the economy of the nation through tourism given the challenges and prospects of the resources, it is recommended that:-

i. The funding of the campaign to enlighten Nigerians of the importance of the tourism industry to the citizens’ socio-economic well being and its contribution to the national economy should be undertaken.

ii. The attitude of Nigerians should be changed to be tourism friendly as other sister West African countries are.

iii. The generation of data for the planning of the industry is vital to its survival hence should be undertaken.

iv. Political will and the need to legislate and regulate the industry should be pursued to keep abreast with the global trends and best practices.

v. The private Sector should be encouraged in the reform process to make the industry private sector driven.

vi. To ensure security of the resources and the consumers, there should be tourism Police in place.

vii. The financial sector i.e the banking and the insurance sub sectors should be involved in the funding of the industry since investments are capital intensive.

viii. The adoption of a niche marketing approach should be critical to the success of the marketing strategy to be adopted and therefore the success in the developing tourism in the country.

ix. The potential market segments to be pursued for development should be leisure (new experience seekers; Nigeria’s Diaspora; special interest; expatriate community; family holidays), conference and meetings, visiting friends and relatives (VFR), religious sports and other events.

x. The Federal Government Agencies responsible for tourism development should be friendlier in approach with regards to enforcing laws which may not be too friendly with the States but should rather dialogue and collaborate to achieve success in developmental endeavours

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