Lagos Targets Untapped Communities for Tourism Growth
Lagos State is looking to expand its tourism sector by tapping into untapped communities and cultural assets across its network of local governments and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).
Idris Aregbe, special adviser to the governor on tourism, arts and culture, outlined the plan at a stakeholder engagement with representatives of local governments, LCDAs and communities in Victoria Island.
According to Aregbe, many tourism and cultural attractions across Lagos remain largely unknown, including to residents of the state. The special adviser noted that local councils have an important role to play in identifying such assets, preserving them and helping to promote them as part of the city’s wider tourism offering.
The strategy places the state’s 20 local governments and 37 LCDAs at the centre of efforts to discover and develop tourism opportunities across communities, potentially widening the geographical spread of visitor spending. A festival, heritage site or cultural experience must attract visitors before it can become a meaningful source of tourism income. That means providing information about the attraction, ensuring accessibility and developing the services visitors need.
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Transport operators, restaurants, hotels, tour operators, retailers and other small businesses could benefit as visitor traffic begins to flow into communities that currently receive limited tourism spending. A cultural festival that attracts mainly people from its host community, for instance, could generate significantly more commercial activity if visitors from other parts of Lagos and outside the state begin attending.
The major objective is to create tourism activity that extends beyond Lagos’ popular entertainment districts and reduces the sector’s dependence on the December festive season. A visitor travelling to a community for a festival, cultural experience or heritage attraction may spend money across several businesses during a trip, from transport providers and food vendors to hotels, retailers and tour operators.
Carlos Rojas-Arbulu, Canada’s deputy high commissioner to Nigeria, attended the engagement and spoke about the tourism, arts and cultural opportunities available in the state. His participation points to the potential for presenting Lagos’ cultural and tourism assets to audiences beyond Nigeria and attracting a wider international visitor base.
The challenge for Lagos will be moving from identifying attractions to building commercially viable destinations around them. That transition will determine whether the state’s cultural assets remain local landmarks or become productive economic assets capable of generating jobs, supporting small businesses and attracting spending from visitors across Nigeria and beyond.
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If the plan succeeds, tourism activity could spread to more parts of Lagos, opening new markets for businesses and allowing communities with previously overlooked cultural assets to participate more directly in the state’s visitor economy.
Industry growth will require more than promotion. Roads and transport connections, security, cleanliness, accommodation and reliable visitor information are among the factors that can determine whether tourists choose to visit an attraction and whether they return.
For the local councils, the immediate task will be to identify what their communities have to offer and work with the state government, residents and private businesses to develop those assets.
