A veteran tourism practitioner, Shola Ilupeju, has expressed concern over the slow pace of growth in Nigeria’s tourism industry, saying insecurity, inadequate infrastructure and inconsistent government policies have continued to undermine the sector’s potential.
Ilupeju, the Chief Executive Officer of Travel Marketing Partners Ltd., spoke in an exclusive interview with The StatePost at the 2026 Annual General Meeting of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN), held at the Monalisa Sports and Recreation Centre, Garki, Abuja.
According to him, the tourism industry has not performed as expected under the current democratic dispensation, despite the high expectations that accompanied the return to democratic rule.
He said Nigerians had expected successive civilian administrations to consolidate and build on existing initiatives in the tourism sector, but regretted that successive governments had largely pursued different agendas without sufficient continuity or a sustained policy framework for tourism development.
Reflecting on the state of the industry, Ilupeju recalled the Abuja International Travel Market which he organised in 1997, describing the event as a major success and a reflection of the vibrancy and relative security of the country at the time.
He noted that about three decades after the event, the industry had continued to move at what he described as a “very slow and bumpy” pace.
According to him, the situation has been compounded by the deterioration in security, which has severely affected domestic and international tourism.
“Now, tourism is becoming just a household name mentioned only in conversation but not on ground, as kidnapping, killing, maiming and all forms of insecurity have become the reality,” he said.
Ilupeju recalled that night travel, which was once commonplace, had become increasingly difficult because of insecurity, stressing that tourism could not thrive in an environment where people were afraid to travel.
He also expressed concern about the safety of some of the country’s national parks and other tourist attractions, which he described as critical assets for the development of the sector.
The tourism practitioner cited reports of insecurity around areas associated with the Old Oyo National Park and the Borgu National Park as examples of the challenges confronting tourism destinations in the country.
He argued that urgent steps were needed to restore confidence in Nigeria’s tourism environment, particularly given the sector’s capacity to create jobs and stimulate economic activity.
Ilupeju described tourism as a “low-hanging fruit” that could generate opportunities for millions of Nigerians if properly developed and supported by government.
He therefore called on governments at all levels to accord tourism its rightful place in the national economy by making it a priority sector.
“Tourism is like rainfall which wets the ground for other vegetation to sprout,” he said, stressing that a properly developed tourism industry would create opportunities for both large and small businesses while enabling host communities to benefit directly from tourism activities.
He maintained that prioritising tourism would stimulate economic activity across several sectors, including transportation, hospitality, entertainment, agriculture, handicrafts and other small and medium-scale enterprises.
According to him, the development of tourism must, however, go hand in hand with improved security, transportation networks and other critical infrastructure.
He urged the Federal Government and state governments to adopt a more deliberate and coordinated approach to tourism development, saying that unlocking the sector’s potential would contribute significantly to job creation, community development and the diversification of the Nigerian economy.
