Award-winning travel journalist and Assistant Editor/Head of Tourism & Hospitality Desk at BusinessDay Media Ltd, Obinna Emelike, has emphasized the urgent need to reposition Nigeria’s festivals as globally competitive tourism products through improved packaging, structure, and collaboration.
Speaking at the Naija7Wonders Zoom Conference hosted by Ikechi Uko, Emelike noted that while Nigeria boasts over 300 festivals across its diverse cultural landscape, only a handful currently deliver the level of appeal required to attract both domestic and international tourists.
According to him, the challenge is not the abundance of festivals but their ability to compete globally. He stressed that festivals must offer compelling experiences that can attract visitors beyond their immediate cultural or religious base. Citing Carnival Calabar, Emelike described it as a benchmark for global-standard festivals in Nigeria, noting that its scale, organisation and international appeal rival top carnivals worldwide. He pointed to the Osun Osogbo Festival as an example of an under-leveraged asset. Despite its recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage-linked cultural site, he argued that the festival remains largely centered on religious devotion, limiting its broader tourism appeal.
Emelike advocated for diversifying festival experiences to include adventure tourism, culinary experiences, community engagement and heritage exploration, ensuring that both devotees and leisure tourists find value in attending. Drawing comparisons with international models, he highlighted Rwanda’s Kwita Izina as a case study in effective festival packaging. He noted that the event has evolved into a high-profile global attraction, drawing influential visitors and generating significant tourism revenue through premium experiences such as gorilla trekking permits.
He stressed that Nigeria can replicate similar success by transforming local cultural assets into structured, marketable experiences. Emelike also underscored the economic potential of well-packaged festivals, citing the Ikeji Festival in Imo State as an example where corporate sponsorship drove infrastructure growth, including the development of new hotels and increased local employment. Similarly, he referenced the revival of the Argungu Fishing Festival, which attracted over a million attendees despite previous security concerns, demonstrating the power of festivals to reshape narratives and boost destination confidence.
A recurring theme in his presentation was the need for structure. Emelike called for a harmonised national festival calendar to aid planning and marketing, stronger government involvement, particularly in areas such as visas, security and infrastructure. He warned that inconsistent planning and shifting event dates undermine credibility and discourage participation. Emelike argued that festivals represent one of Nigeria’s most scalable tourism assets, requiring less heavy infrastructure compared to sectors like sports tourism. With the right strategy, he said, Nigeria can host world-class festivals capable of attracting global audiences and driving foreign exchange earnings.
He concluded that Nigeria already possesses the core ingredients in culture, diversity and human capital to build globally competitive festivals. The missing link, he said, is coordinated execution.
“With the right packaging, planning, and collaboration, Nigerian festivals can become powerful tools for economic growth, destination branding and cultural diplomacy,” he stated.
