Tourism in Nigeria

The temple of Yoruba goddess Oshun at Osun-Osogbo, an attraction for pilgrims and tourists alike.
African Bush Elephants in Yankari National Park, Bauchi State.

Tourism in Nigeria centers largely on events, due to the country's ample amount of ethnic groups, but also includes rain forests, savannah, waterfalls, and other natural attractions.[1] The industry suffers from the country's poor electricity, roads, and water quality.[2]

Destinations

Abuja Millennium Park
Oyasa statue, lagos
Jabi lake

Abuja is home to several parks and green areas with the largest one being Millennium Park. Millennium Park was designed by architect Manfredi Nicoletti and was officially opened by the United Kingdom's Elizabeth II in December 2003. Another open area park is located in Lifecamp Gwarimpa; near the residence of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. The park is located on a slightly raised hilltop which contains sport facilities like Basketball and Badminton courts another park is the city park, it is located in wuse 2 and is home to numerous outdoor and indoor attractions such as a 4D cinema, astro-turf, lawn tennis court, paintball arena and a variety of restaurants.

Lekki Beach in Lagos
The Peak of Obudu Mountain

Lagos, subsequent to the re-modernization project achieved by the previous administration of Governor Raji Babatunde Fashola, is gradually becoming a major tourist destination, being one of the largest cities in Africa and in the world. Lagos is currently taking steps to become a global city. The 2009 Eyo carnival (a yearly festival originated from Iperu Remo, Ogun State), which took place on 25 April, was a step toward world city status. Currently, Lagos is primarily known as a business-oriented and a fast-paced community.[3]

Lagos has become an important location for African and "black" cultural identity.[4] Lots of festivals are held in Lagos; festivals vary in offerings each year and may be held in different months. Some of the festivals are Festac Food Fair held in Festac Town Annually by Festaconline , Eyo Festival, Lagos Black Heritage Carnival, Lagos Carnival, Eko International Film Festival, Lagos Seafood Festac Festival, LAGOS PHOTO Festival and the Lagos Jazz Series, which is a unique franchise for high-quality live music in all genres with a focus on jazz. Established in 2010, the popular event takes place over a 3–5 day period at selected high quality outdoor venues. The music is as varied as the audience itself and features a diverse mix of musical genres from rhythm and blues to soul, Afrobeat, hip hop, bebop, and traditional jazz. The festivals provide entertainment of dance and song to add excitement to travelers during a stay in Lagos.

Lagos has a number of sandy beaches by the Atlantic Ocean, including Elegushi Beach and Alpha Beach. Lagos also has a number of private beach resorts including Inagbe Grand Beach Resort and several others in the outskirts.

Lagos has a variety of hotels ranging from three star to five star hotels, with a mixture of local hotels such as Eko Hotels and Suites, Federal Palace Hotel and franchises of multinational chains such as Intercontinental Hotel, Sheraton and Four Points by Hilton. Other places of interest include the Tafawa Balewa Square, Festac town, The Nike Art Gallery, Freedom Park, Lagos and the Cathedral Church of Christ, Lagos.

Fair weather clouds on Obudu mountains

Obudu Mountain Resort is a ranch and resort on the Obudu Plateau in Cross River State. It was developed in 1951 by M. McCaughley, a Scot who first explored the mountain ranges in 1949. He camped on the mountaintop of the Oshie Ridge on the Sankwala Mountains for a month before returning with Mr. Hugh Jones a fellow rancher in 1951. Together with Dr Crawfeild, they developed the Obudu Cattle Ranch.[5] Although the ranch has been through troubles since, it has been rehabilitated to its former glory.

Mini waterfall at the grotto in Becheve Nature Reserve, a major attraction on Obudu Plateau
Kajuru Castle, Kaduna built in 1978, This breathtaking architectural master-piece is a tourist wonder of sorts. UzomediaTV

Since 2005, a cable car climbing 870 metres (2,850 ft) from the base to the top of the plateau gives visitors a scenic view while bypassing the extremely winding road to the top.[6]

The resort is found on the Obudu Plateau, close to the Cameroon border in the northeastern part of Cross River State, approximately 110 kilometres (68 mi) east of the town of Ogoja and 65 kilometres (40 mi) from the town of Obudu in Obanliku Local Government Area of Cross River State.[7] It is about 30 minutes drive from Obudu town and is about a 332 kilometres (206 mi) drive from Calabar, the Cross River State capital.[8]

Charter air service is available to the Bebi Airport which lies between the village of Obudu and the resort.

The ranch has in recent times seen an influx of both Nigerian and international tourists because of the development of tourist facilities by Cross-River State Government, which has turned the ranch into a well known holiday and tourist resort center in Nigeria.[9]

Regulation and promotion

The tourism industry is regulated by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, a Nigerian government ministry.[10]

In an attempt to raise the profile of the country's tourism sector, a beauty pageant, the Miss Tourism Nigeria Pageant, was created in 2004.[11] The winners in 2004, 2005, and 2006 have been, respectively, Shirley Aghotse,[12] Abigail Longe,[11] and Gloria Zirigbe.[13]

In recent years, festivals and carnivals have become a major attraction to visitors, particularly in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Calabar in December of each year.

Revenue

The World Travel and Tourism Council estimates revenue related to tourism and travel in Nigeria will exceed 10 billion $USD in 2007, and will account for approximately 6% of the gross domestic product.[14]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Archibong, Maurice (2004-03-18). "Nigeria: Gold mine waiting to be tapped". The Sun Online. The Sun Publishing Ltd. Archived from the original on 2007-04-26. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
  2. ↑ "Nigeria starts taking tourism sector seriously". afrol.com. afrol News. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
  3. ↑ "Managing Metropolitan Lagos" (PDF). R.Rasaki. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 May 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  4. ↑ Anthony Appiah; Henry Louis Gates (2010). Encyclopedia of Africa, Volume 2. Oxford University Press. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-195-3377-09.
  5. ↑ "Nigeria: Tracing the Origin of Obudu Mountain Resort". allafrica.com. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
  6. ↑ Building the Obudu Mountain cable car - YouTube
  7. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-01-14. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
  8. ↑ "Obudu Cattle Ranch .Info An independent review of the Obudu Cattle Ranch".
  9. ↑ "Sights at Obudu".
  10. ↑ "Honourable Minister of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation and promoted by the [http://tournigeria.gov.ng/ Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation]". UNESCO.org. UNESCO. Retrieved 2007-06-21. External link in |title= (help)
  11. 1 2 Ekunkunbor, Jemi (2006-10-22). "Beauty queens have duties to perform- Barrister Nike Agunbiade". Vanguard online. Vanguard Media Limited. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
  12. ↑ "Abuja beckons new Miss Tourism Nigeria". The Sun Online. The Sun Publishing Ltd. 2001-10-05. Archived from the original on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
  13. ↑ Ekunkunbor, Jemi (2006-12-24). "Winning Miss Tourism is more than an Xmas gift — Gloria Zirigbe". Vanguard online. Vanguard Media Limited. Archived from the original on 2007-01-15. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
  14. ↑ "Nigeria". Wttc.org. World Travel and Tourism Council. Archived from the original on 2012-02-07. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
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