The Director-General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism of Nigeria (NIHOTOUR), Dr Abisoye Fagade, has called on the Nigerian government to draw lessons from China’s tourism development strategy and build a unique tourism model.

Dr. Abisoye Fagade made this call on Tuesday, September 8, in Abuja while delivering his goodwill message at a seminar on China’s Tourism Development Experience, co-organised by the Chinese Cultural Centre, the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, NIHOTOUR and the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA).

According to him, his recent participation in a tourism development programme in Beijing availed him the needed impetus to see first-hand how China has consciously deployed tourism as an instrument of economic prosperity.

“My experience in Beijing allowed me to see first-hand how China has deliberately deployed tourism as an instrument of economic development, cultural preservation, rural revitalisation, skills development and community prosperity. Nigeria does not lack tourism assets. What we must strengthen is the system that converts those assets into sustainable economic value.”

“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 noted that the NIHOTOUR Act has significantly strengthened professionalism, skills development and standards within Nigeria’s hospitality and tourism industry.

“Our responsible Director-General of NIHOTOUR, Dr Abisoye Fagade, delivers his goodwill message at the seminar on China’s Tourism Development Experience. The mission 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 added.

Fagade also said the seminar is significant as the Federal Government continues to pursue job creation, human capital development, enterprise, investment, and economic diversification under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“Today’s seminar is therefore more than a conversation about China’s tourism experience. It is an opportunity to deepen the friendship between Nigeria and China, to translate that friendship into skills, investments, jobs, stronger institutions and sustainable tourism development. Nigeria has the culture, Nigeria has the people, Nigeria has the destination,” he concluded.

In his welcome address, Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy, Yang Jianxing, said tourism serves as a vital bridge connecting people, nations and civilisations, adding that both China and Nigeria have vast resources for tourism development, given their long histories, diverse cultures and abundant tourism resources.

Yang noted that the seminar came as Nigeria and China marked 55 years of diplomatic relations and during the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.

He said China had developed extensive experience in public services, destination development, integration of culture and tourism, smart tourism, market promotion and talent development.

He noted that the seminar was intended to promote shared learning instead of presenting China’s model as a one-sided model for Nigeria.

“We look forward to both sides strengthening exchanges and deepening cooperation in areas such as tourism talent development, vocational tourism education, hotel management, eco-tourism, cultural heritage preservation, tourism digitalisation, destination marketing, and business partnerships,” Yang said.

He added that tourism has the potential to create jobs and promote economic development while bringing Chinese and Nigerians closer together.

Also speaking at the Seminar, the Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), Dr Ola Awakan, called for stronger Nigeria-China cooperation in tourism development.

Represented by Adekunle Oladipo, the agency’s Director of Human Resources Management, the DG said China’s emergence as one of the world’s most prestigious tourism destinations offered priceless lessons for Nigeria.

He stated that Nigeria could leverage those lessons and localise them to suit its own peculiar cultural, natural and socio-economic ecosystem.

Awakan highlighted several critical pillars driving China’s meteoric tourism evolution, including strategic tourism planning, infrastructure development, investment, destination branding, digital innovation, human-capital development and effective public-private sector collaboration as significant components of China’s tourism experience.

“As Nigeria seeks to unlock the full potential of tourism as a driver of economic diversification, cultural diplomacy and sustainable development, there is much we can learn from China’s experience,” he said.

He added that NTDA saw the seminar not merely as an opportunity to share experiences, but as a platform to identify practical areas for enhanced cooperation, including tourism investment, capacity building, destination development, cultural exchanges, research, innovation and increased tourist flow between Nigeria and China.