Tourism

Tourism is among those sectors with significant potential to support efforts to diversify away from oil in a sustainable and inclusive manner. According to the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, the inflow of passengers rose in 2011, with more than 1.9m arrivals recorded at the international airports of Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, up by about 10% year-on-year. Traffic at domestic terminals was much higher, with 5.5m incoming and 5.4m outgoing passengers. Roughly 98% of visits by foreigners are for business reasons. This has resulted in an increase in demand for international hotels, which have been opening their doors in growing numbers, particularly in Lagos. A N5bn ($32m) fund was set up at the beginning of 2012 that will be used to support the development of the industry, providing financing and facilitating capacity building. Estimates put the sector’s direct contribution to GDP at 1.6% in 2011. This is expected to increase by 11% in 2012 and an average of 6.3% a year between 2012 and 2022. This chapter contains an interview with Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General, World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).