By Emmanuel Emeka
Nigeria is looking to deepen tourism cooperation with China and draw lessons from the Asian country’s transformation of tourism into a major driver of economic development, job creation and cultural preservation.
The call was made at a seminar on “China’s Tourism Development Experience”, organised by the Chinese Embassy and China Cultural Centre in Nigeria in collaboration with the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) and the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA).
Speaking at the event, the Director-General of NIHOTOUR, Dr. Abisoye Fagade, said Nigeria possesses significant tourism assets but must strengthen the systems required to convert those resources into sustainable economic value.
Fagade, who recently participated in a tourism development programme in Beijing, said his experience provided valuable insight into how China has deliberately used tourism to promote economic development, cultural preservation, rural revitalisation, skills development and community prosperity.
According to him, Nigeria should learn from China’s experience without attempting to copy its model wholesale.
“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.
Fagade identified skills development, investment, destination management, digital transformation, research and stronger institutions as important areas Nigeria must prioritise if tourism is to become a significant contributor to the economy.
He also stressed the need for stronger cooperation between Nigerian and Chinese tourism institutions, particularly in professional training, curriculum development, tourism research, digital innovation, rural and cultural tourism and destination management.
He said the implementation of the NIHOTOUR Act provides an institutional foundation for improving professionalism and skills development 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 said.
Also speaking, Yang Jianxing, Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy, said Nigeria and China have enormous potential for tourism cooperation, given their rich histories, diverse cultures and abundant tourism resources.
He said China was willing to deepen exchanges with Nigeria in areas including tourism talent development, vocational tourism education, hotel management, eco-tourism, cultural heritage preservation, tourism digitalisation, destination marketing and business partnerships.
Representing the Director-General of the NTDA, Dr. Olayiwola Nurudeen Awakan, the Director of Human Resources Management, Mr. Oladipo, said China’s development offered valuable lessons for Nigeria, particularly in strategic tourism planning, infrastructure, investment, destination branding, digital innovation and human capital development.
He explained that Awakan was unable to attend the seminar because he was on a working visit to China, where he was engaging with tourism institutions and stakeholders on initiatives aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s tourism sector.
The NTDA representative said Nigeria could adapt relevant elements of China’s experience to its own cultural, natural and socio-economic realities.
He added that the seminar provided an opportunity to identify practical areas for deeper Nigeria-China cooperation, including tourism investment, capacity building, destination development, cultural exchange, research, innovation and increased tourist flows.
The engagement comes as Nigeria and China mark 55 years of diplomatic relations, with both countries also participating in the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.
The speakers agreed that stronger tourism collaboration could help translate the longstanding relationship between both countries into tangible benefits, including skills, investment, employment opportunities, stronger institutions and sustainable tourism development.
