While global tourist arrivals surpassed the one billion mark of 2015 to reach 1.23 billion in 2016, Africa lagged behind in the scramble for global tourists, with a meager 58 million in 2016, despite her acclaim as the last frontier of cultural and ecotourism in the world.
Worse still, despite its rich tourism potential, the West African region attracted 5.8 million tourists in 2016, about 10 percent of Africa’s global arrivals.
Yet, Nigeria, the acclaimed giant of Africa, is still struggling to host one million tourists annually, an unimpressive result that has also negatively impacted her share of tourism receipts and exchanges.
Comparing notes with four African countries – Egypt, South Africa, Morocco and Tunisia, which have over 60 percent combined inflow of tourists to Africa, Nigeria has failed in appealing to global tourists with tourism infrastructure deficit, lack of exciting and well-packaged offerings and aggressive marketing of her potential at the global stage.
The influx of tourists means more money coming into the host country. South Africa earned $7.910 billion from 10 million tourists that visited in 2016, Morocco and Egypt earned $6.548, and $5.258 respectively, from international tourism receipt last year, while Nigeria struggled to earn less than $1 billion, according to World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) International Tourism Receipt 2016 report.
Tourism stakeholders across the country have also expressed their displeasure over Nigeria’s poor performance in the global tourism scene. Speaking during the World Tourism Day celebration on September 27, 2017 in Lagos, Nkereuwem Onug, president, Nigerian Association of Tour Operators (NATOP) noted that South Africa just celebrated over 10 million tourist last year, and has given South African Tourism (SAT) a new mandate to increase the number, improve on revenue from visitors, and collaborate with the private sector in developing and sustaining exciting tourism packages tailor-made for the global tourist.
For him, it is sad that Nigeria is not a giant when it comes to wooing tourists, like other big economies in Africa, especially South Africa and Egypt. Nkereuwem decried that the country has failed to turn thousands of business visits to tourism, as only tourists can guarantee sustainable spending, while business visitors are usually on budget.
Emmanuel Ele, a hospitality expert and manager, noted that though Nigeria is leading Sub Sahara Africa in the expansion of hotel chains and the corresponding increase in the number of available rooms, yet there is no corresponding increase in the number of tourists, along with lack of data from the aviation handlers, immigration and tourism bodies that mind their offices, rather than stepping out to mine tourist data.
While aviation is necessary for growing tourism and its receipts, especially for countries with large land masses, Fatima Gabati, foremost female aviation expert, noted that Nigeria can earn huge revenue from an aviation industry that also targets domestic fronts.
Gabati insisted that the era of apportioning blame is over, and urged stakeholders to collaborate in moving tourism forward.
Toeing Gabati’s line, Ikechi Uko, CEO, Akkwaaba African Travel Market, and an aviation expert as well, observed that it is sad that the Yamoussoukro Decision (named after the city in Côte d’Ivoire, where it was adopted in 1999) is yet to open up the continent’s aviation sector to competition.
For him, effective application of the Yamoussoukro Decision, also known as “Open Skies for Africa”, would boost tourism at both domestic and continent levels, create 155,000 new jobs and contribute US $1.3 billion to the continent’s GDP.
On way the forward, Nkereumem said Nigeria needs strong institutions in her tourism sector as the present ones are not working, and further decried the fact that less effort has been made at marketing
“We need to be more serious, we want a full-fledged Ministry of Tourism, let the institutions work, we need to market tourism as it is supposed to be marketed. For instance, everyone that was part of the Dubai delegation at the just concluded Akwaaba Travel Market, had promotional materials, but Dubai tourism checked the materials to ensure that they represent the excellence of that country.”
Again Nigeria has not exhibited at international travel and tourism expos for a long time now, but the expos are veritable platforms to meet the world and expose your tourism and investment potential to them. So, how do you want people to visit, when you did not market your offerings known to them? Nkereuwem asked.
Gabati suggested more aviation products targeted at the domestic front, in order to encourage more Nigerians to fly and explore many other parts of the country.
Ele also noted that improving on the budgetary allocation of tourism parastatals across the country and employing private sector led experts, as is done in South Africa and Dubai, who have the needed marketing skills, will go a long way in showcasing Nigeria as a destination to the global tourists.
The stakeholders however agreed that though tourism is private sector driven, both government and the private sector should not apportion blame or enumerate challenges. They should rather collaborate in developing, repackaging and marketing Nigeria as a destination.
“South Africa did not attract over 10 million visitors by rocket science. We can learn from South Africa, Dubai, Kneya and even Gambia, where most Europeans prefer to visit in West Africa”, Ele concluded.
OBINNA EMELIKE
