Tourism

Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...

 in Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

centers largely on cultural

Culture of Nigeria

The culture of Nigeria is shaped by Nigeria's multiple ethnic groups. The country has over 50 languages and over 250 dialects and ethnic groups...

 events, due to the country's ample amount of ethnic groups, but also includes rain forests, savannah

Savannah

Savannah or savanna is a type of grassland.It can also mean:-People:* Savannah King, a Canadian freestyle swimmer* Savannah Outen, a singer who gained popularity on You Tube...

, waterfall

Waterfall

A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...

s, and other natural attractions. The industry, unfortunately, suffers from the country's poor electricity, roads, and water quality.

Tourist sites

Tourist sites in Nigeria include festivals and cultural celebrations (such as Durbar festival

Durbar festival

A Durbar festival is an annual festival celebrated in several cities of Nigeria. It is celebrated at the culmination of Muslim festivals Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha...

s), the nation's national parks (such as Old Oyo

Old Oyo National Park

Old Oyo National Park is one of the National parks of Nigeria, located across northern Oyo State and southern Kwara State, Nigeria.It is rich in plant and animal resources including buffaloes, bushbuck and wide variety of birds....

, Yankari

Yankari National Park

Yankari National Park is a large wildlife park located in the south-central part of Bauchi State, in northeastern Nigeria. It covers an area of about 2,244 km² and is home to several natural warm water springs, as well as a wide variety of flora and fauna...

, and Cross River National Park

Cross river national park

The Cross River National Park is a national park of Nigeria, located in Cross River State, Nigeria.There are two separate sections, Okwangwo and Oban ....

s), and other geographical sites (such as Aso Rock

Aso Rock

Aso Rock is a large outcrop that is on the outskirts of Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. The Aso Rock is a 400 metre monolith and is the city's most noticeable feature. The Nigerian Presidential Complex, Nigerian National Assembly, and Nigerian Supreme Court are located around it. Much of the town...

, Abuja

Abuja

Abuja is the capital city of Nigeria. It is located in the centre of Nigeria, within the Federal Capital Territory . Abuja is a planned city, and was built mainly in the 1980s. It officially became Nigeria's capital on 12 December 1991, replacing Lagos...

.)

Regulation and promotion.

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

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. The winners in 2004, 2005, and 2006 have been, respectively, Shirley Aghotse, Abigail Longe, and Gloria Zirigbe.

Revenue

The World Travel and Tourism Council

World Travel and Tourism Council

The World Travel & Tourism Council was conceptualized in the early 1980s when a group of CEOs came to the realization that although Travel & Tourism was the largest service industry in the world and the biggest provider of jobs, nobody knew it...

 estimates revenue related to tourism and travel in Nigeria will exceed 10 billion $

United States dollar

The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

USD in 2007, and will account for approximately 6% of the gross domestic product

Gross domestic product

Gross domestic product refers to the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period. GDP per capita is often considered an indicator of a country's standard of living....

.