The National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), marking a significant milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to build a globally competitive and data-driven hospitality, travel, and tourism industry.
This partnership represents a bold step toward transforming Nigeria’s tourism landscape by deepening research, strengthening sector intelligence, and enabling more informed policy decisions.
With improved access to credible data, government agencies, investors, personnel, practitioners, and industry stakeholders will now be better equipped to identify opportunities, monitor growth, and strategically expand the value of tourism in national development.
The hospitality, travel, and tourism sector continues to gain prominence as one of Nigeria’s most dynamic channels for job creation, enterprise development, and cultural promotion. However, the absence of unified, reliable data has long limited the country’s ability to harness its potential fully.
In his words, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NIHOTOUR, Aare Fagade, stated that the signing of the MOU will serve as a turning point for the sector.
“This partnership marks a turning point for the sector,” said Aare Fagade, DG/CEO, NIHOTOUR. “Reliable data is the backbone of meaningful progress. With this MOU, we are paving the way for smarter investments, better training, and a more globally competitive tourism industry.”
In the same vein, Prince Adeyemi, SG/CEO, NBS, noted that the latest collaboration will further expand the scope of the sector with the coming of the festive period.
“NBS is committed to supporting sectors that hold great promise for Nigeria’s economic future,” said Prince Adeyemi, SG/CEO, NBS. “This collaboration ensures that the hospitality, travel, and tourism sector will now benefit from the same level of statistical rigor applied to other critical industries.”
Through this MOU, NIHOTOUR and NBS commit to:
•Strengthened data collection and analysis across accommodation, transportation, events, recreation, culinary tourism, destination activities, and workforce trends.
•Joint research outputs that will serve as the official reference point for policymakers, investors, and development partners.
•Capacity-building initiatives that improve national understanding of industry standards, measurement frameworks, and global best practices.
•A shared tourism intelligence system that enhances planning, forecasting, and regulatory improvements.
The festive season remains the busiest period for Nigeria’s tourism ecosystem, energizing hotels, short-lets, airlines, road transport, restaurants, fashion, nightlife, cultural festivals, entertainment events, and local SMEs.
With this new partnership, NIHOTOUR and NBS will track trends, visitor flows, spending patterns, and workforce movement during the season to better understand and maximize its economic benefits.
This will help operators, destination managers, and state governments improve planning, pricing, crowd management, and service delivery during high-traffic periods.
The MOU aligns with national efforts to reposition tourism as a major non-oil revenue source, strengthen professional training, and improve Nigeria’s global brand appeal. It also complements the ongoing drive to support personnel and practitioners across the hospitality, travel, and tourism value chain.
By harmonizing expertise, NIHOTOUR’s leadership in capacity development, and NBS’s technical strength in statistical systems, Nigeria is laying a strong foundation for sustainable and inclusive growth in the sector.
