2. Introduction
Prior to the emergence of tourism as a key
sector in Nigeria, Crude Oil, including its
derivatives, had been and has remained a
prominent feature of Nigeria’s external sector;
and by implication, the main stay of the
country’s economy.
•Nigeria is regarded as West Africa's economic
giant, contributing over 40 percent of West
Africa's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and
presents investment opportunities in different
sectors of the economy.
•Nigeria is an emerging economy that is hard to
ignore and recently launched what it termed the
‘Vision 2020 Project’, intended to make
Nigeria one of the strongest emerging
economies by the year 2020, on the scale of the
progress achieved by India and China.
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4. Nigeria and Tourism Development
•Nigeria as an African emerging market
economy has correctly identified the fact that
tourism has the potential to catapult it to the
first rank of emerging market economies and is
making giant strides towards the achievement
of its goals and objectives. Tourism is expected
to play a major role in achieving this goal.
•Recently, the Nigerian Government stated in
its Mission Statement that ‘Tourism’ is one of
the priority sectors of Nigeria’s economy.
However, since the Nigerian Government has
boldly stated an irrevocable commitment to
tourism, one must expect several challenges at
this crucial stage of the development of the
sector. Indeed, it is the challenges existing in
the course of realising this goal that form the
basis for my research.
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5. Tourism is stated as being a well established
phenomenon across Africa and the Middle
East; and despite political instabilities
demonstrates remarkable resilience. As well as
being a major economic force and a key driver
for development, tourism is also an important
mechanism for social exchange and identity
building at both the individual and regional
/national levels. Recently, the rate of tourism
development has increased substantively.
Multinational investments in hotels, resort
complexes and infrastructure, together
with major heritage conservation projects are
catalysing significant social changes,
environmental changes and re-shaping new
regional and international relationships. In the
drive to develop tourism, culture(s) and
heritage are being mobilised, landscapes and
lives are being transformed, and traditions
renegotiated. Tourism can thus be defined as
the new economic driver that can simply not be
ignored. 5
6. Research Issues
My Research Topic is therefore aptly titled,
Developing Tourism in Nigeria: Challenges and
Opportunities. With this in mind, one main
research question will be considered in the
course of my research:
1. What challenges and opportunities can
Nigeria expect to capitalise on in achieving
its goal of developing tourism as its key
sector?
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7. Initial thoughts on methodology
•I have read Nigeria’s Tourism Development
Masterplan and have discovered that this plan
presents us as a nation with several critical issues in
its implementation, hence my research. Naturally
several other research materials also point in this
same direction and it is my intention to employ the
many resources available in concluding my research.
•I intend to employ the use of Literature Review as
my main research method. I shall collect data from
the many sources available both within and outside
Nigeria and rely extensively on them; critically
examine and analyse available data and statistics, in
consonance with the tourism strategy the country
wishes to implement. I expect my research to throw
up the facts and figures required to complete this
study; reveal what the expectations of people are for
the sector and finally focus on ways to overcome the
inherent challenges faced.
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8. Tourism in Nigeria: Facts and Figures
Analysis of Data
• Statistics of tourist arrival;
• Tourist resources: Accommodation, Amenities
and Access (the 3As);
• Economic importance of tourism;
• Administrative structure for tourism
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9. Tourism Challenges and Opportunities
•The challenges: image, marketing, human resources,
institutional framework, finance, etc.
•Opportunities: will focus on ways to overcome the
above challenges
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10. Conclusions and Implications
The value of carrying out this research
In summarising, I expect my research to
contribute to the development of tourism as a
major sector in Nigeria, provide theoretical
reference and future directions for its
successful implementation.
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