Professionals in Nigeria’s travel and tourism industry were confident that the sector is capable of hitting the $100 billion mark, by 2030, set by the Federal Government, if its critical stakeholders are intentional about achieving such goal.

The nation’s tourism sector is presently valued at $14billion.

The experts made the declaration at the Ember2Remember Stakeholders’ Conference and the official launch of Nigeria’s coordinated September-to-December 100-day Calendar of festivals, concerts and cultural events, in Lagos, on Monday.

The CEO, MyCityApp, Mrs. Ifeoma Chukwu, noted that while building a $100 billion tourism economy sounded ambitious, evidence, globally, however, showed that such was achievable.

“In 2024, tourism contributed over $270 billion to Spain’s economy, about $289 billion to France and more than $2.5 trillion to the economy of the United States.

“So, the question is not whether a $100 billion tourism economy is possible. It is: why not Nigeria?” she queried.

She therefore advised stakeholders to avail themselves the opportunity of turning visitor’s experience of the nation’s rich culture, and vibrant creative industry, into economic value.

She explained that the idea of Ember2Remember initiative stemmed from the need to close the gap of fragmented information regarding events at this period, with MyCityApp and MyLagosApp, serving as digital engine for the National Digital Calendar.

“Events are all over the social media, another festival may have existed for 50 years, yet someone outside that community has never heard about it. That is the gap we want to close,” she added.

She explained that the digital engine would bring events and experiences across Nigeria into one place and push them through a 360-degree media ecosystem to Nigerians.

Speaking on “Unlocking Nigeria’s $100 billion Tourism and Creative Economy Opportunity,” Minister of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, stated that every year, particularly between September and December, millions of Nigerians and visitors travel, celebrate, reconnect and spend across the nation’s cities and communities.

She explained that the thinking behind the Ember to Remember initiative was designed to convert those activities into sustainable economic value.

The minister commended the chief executive of My City App for being instrumental to driving the initiative, while also expressing the ministry’s commitment to supporting the initiative and working with the private sector to take it to greater heights.

Chief Executive Officer, Landmark Africa, Paul Onwuanibe, described the target as a low benchmark when viewed against the backdrop of the immense potential in the sector.

According to him, for Nigeria to achieve such target, therefore, stakeholders must own the narratives about the Nigerian brand.

He added that for the country’s very rich potential and culture to be effectively showcased to the outside world, it must be well- packaged to attract investors.

He urged stakeholders, especially the government to see tourism not as a decoration, but a serious business, involving both national and sub-national governments.

He also advocated for a single tourism desk in the country to facilitate tourists’ experiences, while also calling for the concession of some of the nation’s tourist sites, such as Olumo Rock, Nike Lake and others to enable it to fast-track growth in the sector. (Nigerian Tribune)