The Director-General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), Dr. Abisoye Fagade, has said Nigeria must strengthen its tourism institutions and workforce to convert the country’s vast tourism assets into sustainable economic value.
Fagade stated this at a seminar on China’s Tourism Development Experience, held in Abuja, where he highlighted the critical role of tourism in the Federal Government’s economic diversification agenda.
He said under the agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria is pursuing a new economic direction aimed at building a stronger and more diversified economy, with job creation, human capital development, enterprise investment and economic diversification at the centre of the national development strategy.
According to him, tourism has a critical role to play in achieving these objectives.
The NIHOTOUR Director-General said his recent participation in a tourism development programme in Beijing gave him the opportunity to witness first-hand how China has deployed tourism as an instrument of economic development, cultural preservation, rural revitalisation, skills development and community prosperity.
“That experience has reinforced a conviction I have long held: Nigeria does not lack tourism assets. What we must strengthen is the system that converts those assets into sustainable economic value,” he said.
Fagade stressed the importance of the re-enactment and repositioning of NIHOTOUR, describing the institution as a critical foundation for training, professionalism, skills development and the promotion of standards within Nigeria’s tourism, travel and hospitality 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 said.
He noted that Nigeria’s growing relationship with China presents significant opportunities for cooperation in tourism development.
Fagade said that during his recent engagement in Beijing, he explored opportunities for collaboration between Nigerian and Chinese tourism institutions, particularly the China Tourism Academy (CTA), in areas including professional training, curriculum development, tourism research, digital transformation, rural and cultural tourism, destination management and knowledge exchange.
He, however, cautioned that Nigeria should not seek to replicate China’s tourism model mechanically.
“China’s experience should not be copied mechanically. Rather, we should learn from what China has achieved, adapt the lessons to Nigerian realities and build a uniquely Nigerian tourism model,” he said.
According to him, the objective of the renewed tourism agenda is to identify what works, strengthen Nigerian capacity and transform opportunities into tangible benefits for citizens.
Fagade described the Abuja seminar as more than a discussion of China’s tourism experience, saying it also provided an opportunity to deepen the longstanding friendship between Nigeria and China and translate that relationship into practical development outcomes.
“Today’s seminar is therefore more than a conversation about China’s tourism experience.
It is an opportunity to deepen the friendship between China and Nigeria and, more importantly, to translate this friendship into skills, investment, jobs, stronger institutions and sustainable tourism development,” he said.
He added: “Nigeria has destinations. What we now need is the capacity, coordination and commitment to transform these assets into prosperity.”
