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By Gabriel Ameh
Nigeria and China have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in tourism, cultural exchange, hospitality training and capacity development.
The commitment was made during an online seminar on China’s tourism development experience, organised by the China Cultural Centre in Nigeria in collaboration with the Nigeria Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) and other tourism stakeholders.
Speaking at the seminar, Director of the China Cultural Centre, Yang Jianxing, said tourism and education were becoming increasingly interconnected, noting that both countries placed significant importance on people-to-people exchanges and tourism cooperation.
According to Yang, Nigeria and China have in recent years expanded exchanges in areas including tourism, education, hotel management, destination development and destination promotion.
He said the seminar was structured around specific questions and development needs identified by Nigerian tourism stakeholders, with the issues forwarded to the keynote speaker to ensure the discussions addressed Nigeria’s tourism aspirations.
Yang said China’s tourism industry had accumulated extensive experience in public tourism services, destination development, culture-tourism integration, smart tourism, market promotion and human capital development.
He expressed hope that the engagement would develop into a platform for mutual learning rather than remain a one-way presentation.
“We look forward to strengthening cooperation in tourism development, vocational education, hotel management, ecotourism, cultural heritage preservation, tourism digitalisation, destination marketing and business partnerships,” Yang said.
He added that tourism could foster mutual understanding and friendship while creating employment, supporting economic growth and strengthening people-to-people relations.
NIHOTOUR Seeks Nigerian Adaptation of China’s Tourism Model
Director-General of NIHOTOUR, Aare Abisoye Fagade, described the seminar as timely as Nigeria continues to pursue economic diversification, job creation and human capital development under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Fagade said his recent participation in a tourism development programme in Beijing gave him first-hand insight into how China has deployed tourism to support economic development, cultural preservation, rural revitalisation, skills development and community prosperity.
“The experience reinforced a conviction I have long held. Nigeria does not lack tourism assets. What we must strengthen is the system that converts those assets into sustainable economic value,” he said.
He explained that NIHOTOUR’s mandate goes beyond training individuals, stressing that the institute is also focused on developing a skilled workforce, professional culture and institutional capacity capable of making tourism a stronger contributor to Nigeria’s economy.
Fagade identified opportunities for deeper collaboration between NIHOTOUR and Chinese institutions, particularly the China Tourism Academy.
Areas of potential cooperation, he said, include professional training, curriculum development, tourism research, digital transformation, rural tourism, cultural tourism and destination management.
However, he cautioned against simply replicating China’s tourism model in Nigeria.
“China’s experience should not be copied mechanically. We should learn from what China has done, adapt it to Nigerian realities and build a uniquely Nigerian tourism model,” Fagade said.
NTDA Highlights Investment and Tourism Opportunities
Representing the NTDA Director-General, who is currently on a working visit to China, an NTDA official described the seminar as timely, particularly as Nigeria and China commemorate 55 years of diplomatic relations.
The official said China’s emergence as one of the world’s leading tourism destinations offered valuable lessons for Nigeria in strategic planning, infrastructure development, destination branding, digital innovation, human capital development and public-private sector collaboration.
He said Nigeria could draw from China’s experience while adapting relevant strategies to the country’s cultural, natural and socio-economic environment.
The seminar, he added, provided an opportunity to examine practical areas of cooperation, including tourism investment, capacity building, destination development, cultural exchanges, research and innovation, as well as increasing tourist flows between both countries.
China Tourism Academy Highlights Cultural Assets
Delivering the keynote address, President of the China Tourism Academy and Director of the Data Centre of China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Dai Bin, highlighted several areas of growing cooperation between Nigeria and China.
Dai noted that both countries were using iconic cultural and heritage attractions to promote cultural diplomacy and mutual understanding.
He cited China’s Great Wall and Mount Tai alongside Nigeria’s Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove and Zuma Rock as examples of tourism and heritage assets capable of strengthening cultural connections between the two countries.
He also highlighted initiatives such as the China-Nigeria Cultural and Tourism Festival, China Tourism Day celebrations and Happy Chinese New Year events organised by the China Cultural Centre in Abuja as important platforms for people-to-people engagement.
According to Dai, food tourism is also becoming an important area of cooperation, with initiatives such as the Nigeria-China Food Festival promoting culinary heritage, hospitality value chains and entrepreneurship.
He said collaboration had also extended to the creative industries through exchanges in film, literature and performing arts, including specialised training opportunities for Nigerian performers in China.
Dai further identified tourism education, hospitality management, destination marketing, tourism site management and broader capacity building as areas where Nigeria could benefit from China’s experience.
He said tourism remained important to Nigeria’s efforts to diversify its economy, attract investment, create jobs and empower local communities, particularly through cultural industries and community-based tourism.
Participants at the seminar expressed optimism that stronger Nigeria-China tourism cooperation would contribute to sustainable tourism development, cultural understanding and wider economic collaboration between the two countries and other African nations.
