Tourism as a game changer in growing Nigerian economy

Tourism as a game changer in growing Nigerian economy

The Nigerian tourism industry, in the last two years, has suffered unthinkable setback in the hands of the drivers of the industry, who have not been able to digest reality of tourism trends as it relates to content development, products identification, market segment and promotion.

On the other hand, the different private stakeholders’ bodies, who are supposed to be the drivers of the industry, are feebly using their platform to fight individual causes and those who are not, are sitting on the fence.

This situation has become a trend that has made the tourism industry in Nigeria stagnant, with little or nothing to celebrate except for some ardent stakeholders and state governments, whose passionate approaches create seasonal events in the country. But for how long will a country with multi-million naira tourism sector wait and suffer economic hardship, when we have a globally booming industry that can change the country’s story? If government could only focus and add to the tourism industry through innovative investments, things will take shape in no time.

Subsequently, the President Muhammadu Buhari led-administration came on board with the slogan; ‘change,’ which positively raised the hope of the players who were tired of the ‘no-money syndrome’ painted by different heads of government tourism agencies in the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation.

According to some stakeholders, President Buhari’s ideology of change took time to come, and when it came, it was a change, still unexpected by the stakeholders, as it came with the tucking in of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism into a new Ministry of Information and Culture, headed by Alhaji Lai Mohammed. Could this new wine in the old bottle be likened to the biblical second wine at the wedding of Cana, which was sweeter than the first, when Jesus changed water into wine? Time will tell.

Again, can Lai Mohammed, as the new Minister of Information and Culture, bring the desired change? Or rather, could he be a game changer, who will bring sustainable development to the Nigeria tourism industry?

For anyone to succeed as a game changer, right model, workable policy, statistics and marketing trends are factors that will make it a reality.

These factors must be religiously planned, developed and implemented with recourse to the public and private sector partnership, to jointly grow the industry, which is the success story of different tourism countries.

According to an online publication, the growth of global tourism has occurred for a number of reasons: the fall of barriers to global mobility and accessibility; the rise in number of people wanting to see the world for themselves, the deepening of understanding of the value of the sector to uplift nations; the spread of invitation for visitation, among others.

Studies from countries and regions across the globe demonstrate how the creation and promotion of a tourism sector enables nations to stand up, stand tall, and step forward.

For Nigeria which is faced by unstable economy, occasioned by unemployment, epileptic power supply and insurgence, developing practical tourism with human face, is one of the best things that will transform the country, if only the Federal Government could invest time, money, expertise and infrastructure in growing the sector.

A model from India, according to the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India revealed that rapid growth of the tourism sector in India from 2011 onwards would result in the country’s tourism sector becoming the second largest employer in the world, employing more than 40,037,000 people by 2019. As a result, India is committed to spreading tourism into both urban and rural areas, enabling dramatic growth in the overall economy through revenues and employment from tourism.

Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the UNWTO makes clear the responsibility that the tourism sector has beyond the tourism industry itself.

“Tourism can make a significant contribution to address economic, climate and poverty imperatives. Tourism represents up to 45 per cent of the exports of services of developing countries, and is often one of the few entry possibilities into the job market. It is also one of the most viable and sustainable economic development options given its significant impact on related areas of economic activity,” he said.

Governments across the globe, especially those in developing nations, are looking at tourism as a way of transforming not just the economy, but the lives of its people, within and outside the sector. Transformation in these nations are not purely about growth of arrivals, growth of GDP, growth of investment and trade, and growth of jobs within the existing industry framework. The spirit of transformation goes so much wider. It is about creating opportunities, through tourism, for each and every individual of the destination to play a direct role.

As a result, real transformation requires embracing the need for the sector to ensure, at all levels, resources (time, funding and know-how) are committed, ongoing, towards:

Skills development

Creating opportunities for people to be able to learn and apply new skills, turning ability into direct productivity, and unlocking the opportunity for employment and advancement.

Ownership

Going beyond employment to creating opportunities for people to become small business owners (and therefore employers themselves), actively and meaningfully playing a leadership role in industry development and able to influence the direction of growth.

Participation
This ensures that each and every role-player in the industry, regardless of size and structure understands and feels that they are a part of something bigger, something shared, and something that generates immense pride for the sector and the destination as a whole.

There is no question that transformation is the right way to ensure growth of the destination, and therefore, the nation’s economy and society.

The challenge, however, comes in bringing these good intentions to life, and keeping them alive, through purpose, patience and partnership.

Taking a model of Beulah Mosupye, a former Chief Director, Sector Transformation in South Africa’s National Department of Tourism, who was acutely aware of the importance of investing time, funds and expertise into transformation of tourism, with a long-term, industry wide view, and yet the practical challenges of making it happen. This is especially true when it comes to government and the private sector working as partners.

According to Mosupye, “transformation does not take place in a vacuum. Whether transformation happens or not, there will be a prize to pay, and as a country we need to understand what cost are we prepared to pay, as citizens, as businesses, and as beneficiaries.

“Doing nothing is always an option. But that too has its consequences, at many levels. The gap between the haves and have-nots will only grow, eroding the fibre and spirit of the destination, which can and will be felt by both locals and visitors. For genuine growth to occur, all role players need to play their part.

“From government, we need to ensure all our policies for the creation of an inclusive economy are aligned in order to ensure that all government levels are used effectively to incentivise the desired behaviour from industry.”

But, she maintains, “it is not only up to government to drive the transformation agenda.

“Private sector needs to awaken to the reality that an inclusive economy increases the number of economically active people, and therefore opens new consumer markets, for the products and services they produce.”

However, for a game changer this time around to succeed, Alhaji Mohammed must assess the state of the tourism industry (to know the problem, and area of need in the industry), meet practical stakeholders, revisit the tourism master plan and liaise with agencies, state governors, private sectors and investors, and the legislative arms of the government to position the tourism industry for outright and sustainable development and benefits.