The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), Dr. Abisoye Fagade, has said tourism has a critical role to play in Nigeria’s economic diversification agenda, stressing that the sector has the capacity to create jobs, develop human capital and stimulate sustainable economic growth.
Fagade stated this on Tuesday in Abuja at the opening of a seminar on China’s tourism development experience, organised by the Chinese Cultural Centre in collaboration with NIHOTOUR and the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA).
He said the seminar was coming at a significant time for Nigeria as the Federal Government, under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, pursues a new economic direction focused on job creation, human capital development, enterprise, investment and diversification.
“This seminar comes at a particularly significant time for Nigeria. Under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, our nation is pursuing a new economic direction in which job creation, human capital development, enterprise, investment and diversification are central to building a stronger and more prosperous Nigeria. Tourism has a critical role to play in that vision,” he said.
Fagade stressed that Nigeria was not lacking in tourism assets, noting that the country possessed the culture, people and destinations needed to develop a vibrant tourism industry.
“Nigeria has the culture. Nigeria has the people. Nigeria has the destinations. What we now need is the capacity, coordination and commitment to turn these assets into prosperity,” he said.
He recalled his recent participation in a tourism development programme in Beijing, where he said he had the opportunity to witness first-hand how China had deliberately deployed tourism as an instrument of economic development, cultural preservation, rural revitalisation, skills development and community prosperity.
According to him, the experience reinforced his conviction that Nigeria’s challenge was not a shortage of tourism resources but the need to strengthen the systems required to convert those resources into sustainable economic value.
He said the NIHOTOUR Act had become particularly important in strengthening professionalism, skills development and standards within Nigeria’s hospitality and tourism industry.
“Our responsibility at NIHOTOUR is therefore not simply to train people. It is to help build the skilled workforce, professional culture and institutional capacity required to make tourism a serious contributor to the Nigerian economy,” he added.
Fagade said Nigeria’s growing relationship with China also presented an opportunity for deeper cooperation between NIHOTOUR and Chinese tourism institutions, particularly the China Association of Travel Services and the China Tourism Academy.
He identified professional training, curriculum development, tourism research, digital transformation, rural and cultural tourism, destination management and knowledge exchange as some of the areas where both countries could strengthen collaboration.
While urging Nigerian tourism stakeholders to learn from China’s experience, Fagade cautioned against mechanically copying the Chinese model, stressing the need to adapt successful approaches to Nigeria’s peculiar circumstances.
“China’s experience should not be copied mechanically. We should learn from what China has done, adapt the lessons to Nigeria’s realities, and build a uniquely Nigerian tourism model,” he said.
He added that the objective should be to identify what works, build Nigerian capacity and transform opportunities in the sector into tangible benefits for the people.
Fagade described the seminar as more than a conversation about China’s tourism development experience, saying it was also an opportunity to deepen the friendship between Nigeria and China and translate bilateral relations into skills, investment, jobs, stronger institutions and sustainable tourism development.
In his opening remarks, Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy, Yang Jianxing, said China and Nigeria possessed immense potential for tourism development, given their long histories, diverse cultures and abundant tourism resources.
He described tourism as an important bridge connecting people, nations and civilisations, adding that China was willing to deepen tourism exchanges and cooperation with Nigeria.
Yang said tourism not only creates jobs and promotes economic growth but also brings people from different countries closer together, allowing them to understand and appreciate one another.
“I believe that tourism not only creates jobs and fosters economic growth but also brings people from different countries closer together, enabling them to understand and appreciate one another. Through tourism exchanges, we can further enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of China and Nigeria, injecting new momentum into the building of an even closer friendly and cooperative relationship between our two nations,” he said.
He noted that China had accumulated extensive experience in public tourism services, destination development, the integration of culture and tourism, smart tourism, market promotion and talent development.
He said the seminar was intended to facilitate mutual learning rather than present China’s experience as a one-way model for Nigeria.
“We look forward to both sides strengthening exchanges and deepening cooperation in areas such as tourism talent development, vocational tourism education, hotel management, eco-tourism, cultural heritage preservation, tourism digitalisation, destination marketing, and business partnerships,” Yang said.
He said such cooperation could transform the respective strengths of Nigeria and China into drivers of shared development, adding that bilateral cooperation had expanded over the years to areas including culture, education and tourism, with the leaders of both countries placing importance on people-to-people exchanges.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority, Dr. Ola Awakan, said China’s transformation into one of the world’s leading tourism destinations offered valuable lessons for Nigeria as it seeks to unlock the full potential of the sector.
Awakan, who is currently on a working visit to China, where he is engaging tourism institutions and stakeholders on initiatives aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s tourism sector, was represented at the seminar by the Director of Human Resources Management, Mr. Oladipo Adekunle.
He said the seminar provided an important platform for knowledge sharing, dialogue and the deepening of tourism cooperation between Nigeria and China.
According to him, China’s remarkable transformation into one of the world’s leading tourism destinations demonstrated how the sector could become a driver of economic diversification, cultural diplomacy and sustainable development.
He said there was much Nigeria could learn from China’s experience, while adapting relevant approaches to the country’s unique cultural, natural and socio-economic context.
“We therefore see this seminar not merely as an opportunity to share experiences, but as a platform to identify practical areas for enhanced cooperation, including tourism investment, capacity building, destination development, cultural exchanges, research, innovation and increased tourist flows between our two countries,” he said.
Adekunle assured tourism stakeholders that the NTDA remained committed to strengthening partnerships that would position Nigeria as a more competitive, attractive and sustainable tourism destination, while creating opportunities for Nigerians to experience and appreciate China’s rich tourism offerings.
He expressed confidence that the discussions and exchanges at the seminar would contribute meaningfully to building a stronger and more mutually beneficial Nigeria-China tourism partnership.
Michael Olugbode
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