Destination Development and
Institutionalization Strategies
In the OIC Member Countries
110
4.2.3 Nigeria
Background
Nigeria, with a population of 186 Million340 possesses a vastly untapped tourism sector in comparison to
its Eastern African neighbours, Kenya and Tanzania and its neighbour, South Africa.
The Ministry of Information and Culture, which oversees tourism development at a National Level, aims to
achieve a rise in domestic tourism to contribute 4% to Nigeria’s GDP, substantially higher than its current
contribution.341
Nigeria is endowed with natural beauty, with over seventy naturally developed attractions. However, only
a fraction of those have been fully developed and made accessible for tourists, with the country being
ranked 131 st out of 141 countries in the 2015 Tourism Competitiveness Index.342
Table 18: Nigeria Competitiveness Statistics 343
International tourist arrivals (2015) (million) 6.0
International tourism inbound receipts (2015) (million) $470
Average receipts per arrival (2015) $78
Travel and Tourism% of GDP (2015 forecast) 1.7
Travel and Tourism employment (2015 forecast) (%) 3. 6
Source: UNWTO 2017 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Annual Report
Destination Development Institutional Strategies
Strategies for tourism development fall under the federal government and all master plans related to
tourism and DMO development are under the Ministry of Information and Culture. The Ministry of
Information and Culture executes its strategic plans through the Nigerian Tourism Development
Corporation (NTDC) which is responsible for granting licenses to private tourism agencies at the federal
and state levels.
Each armof the Ministry of Information and Culture falls under a legal act that provides guidelines in terms
of tourism attraction maintenance, marketing, licensing and development of tourism in the country.
At the state level, there are state tourism boards that act as regulators and revenue generators for the
tourism sector in each of the 36 states in Nigeria. Most state tourism boards rely on government funding
and are directly under the state government.
DMOs are responsible for developing the tourism sector in their respective states and are accountable to
their respective State Governments. The most prominent DMO in Nigeria is the Cross River Tourism
Bureau, the core focus of this case study
340 World Bank Data. (2017). Retrieved fro
341 Interview with the Ministry of Culture & Tourism, October 2017
342 World Economic Forum. (2015).
343 World Travel and Tourism Council. (2016).