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It was comforting when, in April 2012, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) released an analytical report on Nigeria’s tourism that read, “travel and tourism generated 838, 500 jobs directly in 2011 (1.4 percent total employment), and is forecasted to grow by seven percent in 2012 to 897, 500.

This includes employment by hotels, travel agents, airlines, and other passenger services excluding commuter services). It also includes, for example, the activities of the restaurants and leisure industries directly supported by tourists.”

The report went further to say, capital investment in the tourism sector was N252.5 billion (Naira), adding that it would rise by 2.3 percent in 2012. It said a rise of 6.5 percent per annum was envisaged over the next 10 years. And forecast that domestic travel spending was expected to grow by 1.5 percent in 2012 to N119.4 billion (Naira), and rise by 2.4 per cent per annum to N151.5 billion (Naira) in 2022. Pertaining to GDP, the WTTC concluded that total contribution of travel and tourism was N1.232 trillion (Naira), being 3.3% of Nigeria GDP in 2011. Adding that GDP was expected to rise by 10.8 percent in 2012, and 7% per annum to N2.691 trillion (Naira) by 2022.

Despite the impressive potential of Nigeria’s tourism as highlighted by the WTTC report, Nigeria has failed to evolve into a prominent tourism destination in Africa, let alone in the world. Yet, the country is enormously blessed with several resource-based tourist attractions, including some United Nations World Heritage Sites. Nigeria officially became a member of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) in 1975. 

Statutorily, tourism started gaining momentum in 1988, when the ruling military government promulgated a decree establishing the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), and by the year 2000, the Federal Ministry of Culture & Tourism was created; thereby according tourism a priority status in Nigeria’s quest for national economic development. 

Over the years, the need for conservation caused the federal government to create some national parks and reserves. To date, Nigeria has eight National Parks and some State Governments nature reserves. But these parks are not adequately funded, neither are they strategically managed to attract spending tourists. Because these parks were set up for conservation purposes only, they have not added any value to tourism development. Little wonder these parks are under the Federal Ministry of Environment, instead of the Ministry of Tourism – as obtained in other climes.

More so, ‘Cultural Tourism’, which is the most significant brand of Nigeria tourism, is not strategically marketed to attract international tourists either. Come to think of it, the bane of tourism development in Nigeria has been the lack of concerted marketing strategy for both domestic and inbound tourism. Consequently, the industry’s growth has been at a snail’s speed.

Notwithstanding the accolades that heralded the establishment of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, there been no significant development in the industry afterwards. No thanks to the mediocrity perpetuated in the administration of tourism in Nigeria. Since its creation, the Federal Ministry of Culture & Tourism has had ‘tourism-illiterates’ as substantive ministers. In fact, the ministry had been the dumping ground for career politicians with no tourism know-how.

Over the years, experts had perennially posited that, the bane of Nigeria tourism development, amongst other things, is the lack of world-class marketing and promotion programmes, targeting both local and international travel source markets.

The 2005 Federal Government of Nigeria and UNWTO facilitated Tourism Development Masterplan for Nigeria concluded that,

“The current marketing approach is very weak. The marketing of Nigeria as a tourist destination is underfunded 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. The adoption of a niche marketing approach will be critical to the success of any future marketing strategy and therefore the success (or otherwise) in developing tourism in the country.”  

Consequently, no meaningful advancement was recorded in developing Nigeria’s tourism industry, and the same fate bedevilled the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC).

Amazingly, the most significant development of a tourist destination in Nigeria came from a state government in the South-South region. Between 1999 and 2007, the then Governor Donald Duke of Cross River State successfully revamped and enriched the hitherto moribund Obudu Cattle Ranch and instituted the now celebrated Calabar Festival. He single-handedly turned Cross River State into the most renowned tourist destination in Nigeria. His administration also built the Tinapa Business Resort to rival Dubai.

After Obudu Ranch Resort, now called, Obudu Mountain Resort, the next notable tourist destination in Nigeria is the Bauchi State owned Yankari Game Reserve. The park is endowed with several natural warm springs and diverse plants and wildlife. It is also rich in prehistoric – early man’s - archaeological attractions. Notwithstanding the sterling ecotourism quality of Yankari Game Reserve, successive governments have done little to build world class facilities and promote the destination to attract domestic and international tourists.

In 2012, the World Bank and most international development organisations reported that Nigeria’s economy will grow at 7% in the coming years. But it did not. No thanks to the fall in the price of crude oil in the international markets that started in 2014. And by 2015, the same Bretton Wood Institutions are projecting a not more than 4% annual growth. Insisting that Nigeria’s economy must diversify to other sectors like tourism and agriculture.

The World Bank advice fell on deaf ears. Sadly, successive governments in Nigeria have no appetite to develop Nigeria’s tourism into a major domestic revenue and foreign exchange earner. And it is not because of easy crude oil money hitherto. Rather, it is due to sheer insufficient knowledge of tourism economic development potentials.

Though the clamour for economic diversification became intense in the five (2010-2015) years of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, he left no indelible footprint on Nigeria’s tourism development. He produced Nigeria’s longest serving tourism minister, Edem Duke, a Calabar hotelier, who did nothing but throw his fat weight around!

As if the industry has not suffered enough, Goodluck Jonathan’s successor, President Muhammad Buhari in October 2015, chose to scrap the Ministry of Tourism and re-assigned the former ministry’s agencies to a new Ministry of Information and Culture! Now Nigeria’s tourism industry development opportunity is back to square-one!!

After all said and done, Nigeria Tourism development would only be transformed by visionary and transformational leadership. Political leadership that makes tourism a central part of Nigeria’s national economic development strategy, and not an after-thought – which is presently the case!  The approach to managing tourism in the country should be orchestrated to benchmark on the tourism comparative advantage of each geo-political zone. Each geo-political zone in Nigeria presents a different tourist opportunity, in terms of the local people’s tradition, cultural heritage, vegetation belt, landmark attractions, and socio-economic environments.

 

 

This updated article ‘Developments in Nigeria’s Tourism Industry’ is written by Joesef Karim. It is an excerpt of his book, “Travel and Tour Operations in Nigeria”, (ISBN: 978-978-922-703-7) 2nd Edition, 2013. Mr. Karim is a tourism destination marketing specialist and the Co-Founder of Afro Tourism Expo, an annual travel and tourism conference and exhibition that holds in Abuja Nigeria.

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Visitors can enjoy a coral reef teeming with wildlife, pick a sunbathing spot from miles of unspoiled beaches, and dine on the catch of the day -- all for a fraction of the price of a European resort.

But for Khaled, the owner of a long-running holiday camp, this paradise is almost lost.

"There are robberies on the road and kidnappings in the area -- it's a kind of Wild West," says the hotelier, who asked to have his name changed to avoid reprisals.

After the 2011 revolution, insurgents established a foothold in Sinai, and the rising tide of violence made it an increasingly dangerous destination for visitors -- even before Metrojet Flight 9268 crashed down in nearby Sharm el Sheikh.

Bookings are now at roughly half of pre-revolution levels, says Khaled, with the majority coming from local tourists who spend less on shorter stays, while international visitors stay away.

He laments that while business suffers, the government has raised the price of tourist visas and banned safari tours. He is not yet ready to quit, but the question looms ever larger.

"We are looking for good news but there is none," says Khaled. "Maybe Egypt is lost."

AN EMPIRE IN DECLINE
If the picture in Sinai is bleak, it is only now beginning to match the rest of the country.

Egypt is a traditional powerhouse of tourism, boasting a stellar cast of attractions from the Pyramids of Giza to the Valley of the Kings. The industry is integral to the wider economy, with more than 10% of jobs connected to tourism.

Visitor numbers rose steadily in the years to 2010, in which 14.7 million international tourists arrived and pumped $13.6 billion into the economy, according to UN figures. But the revolution set the trends in reverse, and continued aftershocks have choked off recovery.

In 2013, tourism contributed just $6.7 billion -- less than half of the 2010 peak. Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou lamented "the worst year in modern history," as hotel occupancy plummeted toward zero, and visitors described the eerie sensation of wandering the great monuments in splendid isolation.

The crisis triggered a wide-ranging response from the Ministry of Tourism, which announced a three point-plan aimed at bringing back the crowds; an online marketing blitz, expanding Egypt's international flight network, and working with tour operators to devise more attractive -- and cheaper -- offers.

The government has embarked on extensive renovation of historic sites, and also sought to corral public sentiment - encouraging citizens to promote their country. The call has been answered in creative ways, from motorcycle missions to lion-fighting strongmen.

While the various campaigns have bought some relief, the scale of Egypt's challenge was brutally illustrated on October 31. On the day the grand-scale promotional initiative #thisisegypt was to launch, Metrojet Flight 9268 came down, and airlines from Russia and the UK -- two of Egypt's largest markets -- canceled flights.

When #thisisegypt finally surfaced on December 10 it did go viral -- as the Internet united in condemnation of the Egyptian government.

LONG ROAD BACK

Prospects appear grave, but Egyptian tourism has recovered from disasters before.

Sixty-two people, including 58 foreign visitors, were killed in the 1997 Luxor massacre. The 2005 bombing of Sharm el Sheikh claimed 88 lives. In both cases, visitor numbers swiftly recovered.

This time may be more difficult, according to David Scowsill, CEO of the World Tourism and Travel Council.

"When these attacks happen, communication from the government in the next days is critical, to say precisely what has happened," says Scowshill. "In the days after the Russian aircraft incident, nobody knew why."

He believes the lack of clarity has fed into decisions by airlines to stay clear for the foreseeable future.

"There are still security questions and until they are resolved the recovery process will not start," says Scowshill "You have to get confidence back, get airlines flying again, and have a major marketing push from private and public sectors to get travelers back."

In contrast to recent attacks on Paris, the CEO believes that Egypt will suffer for the perception that tourists are a target. But even so, he expects the situation to stabilize in "13-15 months" barring another major incident.

In the short term, the most effective strategy is likely to be slashing prices to record lows to persuade wavering tourists, giving the local attractions time to work.

Unprecedented bargains will still seem a gamble to wary visitors, and the golden years may never return. But a great Egyptian industry now depends on rolling the dice.

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The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has imposed an applicable sanction on Aero Contractors Airlines in line with Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations.
This is in response to the airline’s breach of safety regulations when it used a ladder to disembark passengers at the Bauchi airport on Saturday.

 

In a letter conveying the sanction, the Director General of the regulatory agency, Capt. Muhtar Usman, said the action of the airline in allowing the use of a ladder to disembark passengers from a Boeing 737-500 aircraft in a non-emergency situation, was contrary to its approved aircraft handling manual.
“Therefore this is a violation of Part 9.2.4.2(b) of Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations, which attracts a civil penalty.
“All relevant agencies made useful submissions during the course of the investigation,” NCAA said in a statement yesterday.
The director general also said in the letter that “in view of the safety implications of your action you are hereby sanctioned in accordance with the provisions of Part 20.2.3(15) of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulation.”

NCAA noted that although the incident did not result in any mishap, the aircraft was airworthy and the crew qualified to operate the flight.
“However, it is viewed as a breach and resultantly a fine running into millions of naira has been clamped on the airline to serve as deterrence and to forestall any similar infraction by any other airline operator,” the director general said.
In addition, the captain of the flight was fined for failing to comply with the provisions contained in the aircraft manual.
“The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) therefore wishes to reiterate its earlier warning that all airlines should endeavour to adhere strictly to Civil Aviation Regulations,” NCAA added.

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Nigeria is determined to fully exploit its potential for tourism as one of Africa’s major tourist destinations, the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed has said.

 

The Minister, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Ayotunde Adesugba made this known in Abuja on Thursday at a workshop by the ministry with the theme, ‘Mainstreaming Tourism into Economic Agenda of Government: Issues and challenges.

According to him, the country was exploring other non-oil frontiers in its resolve to diversify the economy, tilting towards tapping the huge potentials in the sector must be the target.

“The uniqueness of tourism, as an important economic sector, is also evident in its ability to employ both the skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled manpower, while its resilience is proven by the fact that despite wars, political turmoil, natural disasters, medical scares, terrorists attacks, economic and energy crises in various parts of the world, international trade in tourism services has grown spectacularly since the 1980’s.”

He further submitted that for Nigeria to meet her developmental expectations in tourism, some requisite facilities must be put in place.

The minister then said the government was ready and determined to provide a more conducive environment for both potential tourists and investors in the sector.

These needs include infrastructural development; strengthening security to enhance investor confidence; establishment of a Tourism Development Fund; a sustainable framework for Public Private Partnership as well as the establishment of a national carrier among others.

Mr. Mohammed also stated that as the country grapples with the daunting challenges of re-strategizing on the gains of its democracy and also occupy its pride of place in the committee of nations, tourism has been identified as a veritable option for sustainable development.

“With Nigeria’s over 170 million population, abundance of both natural and artificial resources that cut across the length and breadth of the land, in addition to the wide and diverse cultural heritage in music, dance and festivals, and the ever hospital disposition of Nigerians, surely there is already a window of opportunity ready for utilization,” he said.

“Our experience in the recent past, also clearly demonstrates that oil and mineral resources that are non renewable have limited potential for addressing the development challenges that face the country today, over the medium and long term period.”

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