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On December 13, 2012, the global tourism industry recorded the one billion tourist mileage. That is, one billion people travelled around the world for tourism purposes from January to December 2012. It translated to over $US2 trillion revenue from the various activities the travellers engaged in while on the trips.
Sadly, Africa could only grab a meager 52 million or more tourists out of the over one billion that travelled round the world, earning less than $US 20 billion in revenue.
Worse still, Nigeria with all her natural endowment, cultural diversity and population strength, a boost for domestic tourism, could only get a fraction of the 52 million tourists and little or nothing to show in revenue as there are hardly records even from the various tourism bodies.
Of course, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation is not happy that despite her population strength, land mass and vast natural resources, Nigeria is not a giant in African tourism. On a visit sometime ago, Osman Ndiaye, UNWTO regional director for Africa, who was in the country as part of a two-member inspectorate team, was not happy that Nigeria lags behind in global tourism campaign with all her resources. “Africa should strategise on increasing its world tourism market share from the current 6 percent to double- digit figures”, he urged then.
It is sad that at 56 years, Nigeria still lags behind in tourism and hospitality infrastructure offerings, service culture has not improved beyond the amount people receive to deliver such services, none of the airports rank among the top 10 in Africa, while immigration is still learning how to treat foreigners and even citizens with courtesy. The worst is that the country still adopts visa reciprocity that has scared many including investors who now look elsewhere for business, investments and even leisure.
But in all these, it surprises that immigrations, airport authorities and border security agencies do not have enough data on passengers, their destinations here, where they stay/visit, when they leave, how much they spend, what they buy among others.
It is also not surprising that Nigerian
Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), the agency charged with the statutory role of packaging and promoting Nigerian tourism globally, does not even know the attractions, tourism products and cultural heritage to market to the world.
Yet, similar agencies such as Kenya Tourism, South African Tourism and even The Gambia Tourism, all keep innovating their products, event and services that woo global tourists in their millions to come and spend the hard currencies in their countries. That explains why more Nigerians visit South Africa, Kenya and The Gambia, while citizens of these countries hardly visit for tourism here. The focus is no longer the UK and USA, Dubai seems to host more Nigerians than any other country in recent times; all at the expense of the development of inbound tourism in the country. It is a shame that the elites and high net worth personalities spend their summer outside Nigeria whereas; there are fantastic destinations to visit here. If they think domestic destination has many issue, they are in power and have all it takes to fix it, but will not because overseas trips have become a status thing for them.
Part of the reasons Nigerian tourism maintains unimpressive performance over five decades now is foundational and also government making.
How can you explain the fact that Nigeria had three tourism ministers in four years, and permanent secretaries changed at will? Nigeria has proven her lack of seriousness at developing the tourism sector as a credible alternative to crude oil as each minister abandon projects of his/her predecessors with a view to creating something new but end up enriching his/her pocket. The sad thing is that the present administration does not regard tourism with the removal of the sector from the ministry and subsuming it under Ministry of Information, Culture and National Orientation. It is sad particularly now that tourism presents itself as the lowest hanging fruit for the diversification of the Nigerian economy away from the dependence on crude oil.
Ikechi Uko, tourism/hospitality expert, blames policy somersault, lack of knowledge in tourism business, and inability to package clear-cut tourism products as parts of the reasons the country is still not where it should be in tourism business.
Of course, the political class that influences government of the day has always made sure people with no passion for the job occupy positions as settlement or to represent the ruling party’s interest.
As well, a country that abandoned its United Nation World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) assisted Tourism Master Plan can only pay lip service to its tourism development.
Olumide Badmus, MD, Travel Feast, noted that the Master Plan, launched in 2007 contained the aggregate policies and framework on which tourism development across the country would be founded and sustained, but regrets that instead of improving on it, government seems to abandon it for cosmetic tourism campaigns that are only visible in the ‘paid media’. It also contained five tourism clusters across the country aimed at repackaging tourism products to standards that would appeal and attract the global tourists.
Yet, it was dead on arrival due to the many criticisms it received, and failure of government to interpret and implement its recommendations properly. Successive ministers and managers of the tourism sector prefer short term goals to the long term one the UNWTO envisaged in 2007.
It is even sad that less than 20 percent of Nigerians travel within the country on domestic tourism. Worse still, a whole lot of people prefer destinations outside the country. Before the economic downturn that made most foreign airlines to reduce their frequencies and capacities out of the country, there used to be two flights per day by British Airways, two per day by Emirate, Virgin Atlantic, Delta Airline, Lufthansa, South African Airways, and Arik Air all full with 80 percent Nigerians on holidays abroad.
Yet the likes of ABC Transport, Chisco, Cross Country, other unbranded transport firms and some private cars move thousands of Nigerians across the West African coast, especially Ghana, on holidays.
So, what attractions are in these countries that are not here? Obudu Mountain Resort is still one of the best resorts in Africa, the beaches in Lagos are quite unique, the creeks in Niger Delta are rare if not the negligence of the region that turned them into militancy jungles. The very unique festivals- from Durbar, Argungu, Eyo, Osun Oshogbo, Calabar Carnival to even naming ceremonies are worth packaging with the global tourists’ dollar in mind.
After all, tourists travel from all over the world to witness naming ceremony for baboons in Rwanda!
A country where travel agents and tour operators are mindful of selling outbound tours leaves the domestic end at risk. Before tourists visit, citizens should lead the way in sustaining tourism and hospitality businesses across their country. No British High Commission staff (if allowed by commission’s travel alert warnings) will visit Olumo Rock if the owners do not make the first call. “How do you pay salaries, how do you feed the animals and how do you even pay government tax when visits are scanty”? A manager in Jos Wildlife Park once queried.
While many decry the insecurity in some parts of the country caused by negligence of government over time, countries that have more serious security challenges such as South Africa, Egypt and even Kenya still woo tourists from across the world in their thousands.
It all boils down to a country that is serious at making tourism count; a country that sees tourism development as the right investment, manpower development, and empowerment as ways out of poverty for the populace.
So, when will all the talks about government providing enabling environment become action? The private sector is not better-off either as many businesses collapse because of the multiple taxation of most governments here.
It is a shame that government has done little or nothing to make tourism count in the country, but the private sector has not done much either because thriving tourism sectors all over the world are driven by the private sector.
Tourism growth is not by the number of hotels that open in a country every year or by attending tourism shows all over the word, but by the impact on the lives of locals, and on the economy at large.
At 56, Nigerian tourism sector should be a force to reckon with in the contribution to the earnings of the national economy. It is time tourism truly counts in Nigeria, especially now that the country is looking for ways out of recession.
EMELIKE OBINNA
