Indians and Chinese nationals top the list of non-African visitors to Nigeria, according to the latest 2024 World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Economic Index Reports on Nigeria.
According to this report, in 2023, India topped the chat for non-African visitors to Nigeria. This translates to seven per cent of visitors to Nigeria.
Sunnewsonline.com reports that this is followed by China with six per cent arrival.
However, this places both countries in the fourth (India) and fifth (China) positions in the overall arrival chart for Nigeria in 2023. Niger Republic tops the arrival list with 21 per cent of visitors to Nigeria. It is followed by Benin Republic in distant second with 11 per cent. Cameroun comes third with eight per cent of the arrivals. India and China complete the top five countries.
On the departures out of Nigeria to other countries, Ghana remains the most popular country for Nigerians travelling out of the country.
According to the report, in 2023, 18 per cent of Nigerian international travellers will visit Ghana. The second most popular destination is the United Kingdom which comes a close second with 17 per cent.
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The third is Saudi Arabia as a destination for seven per cent of Nigerian travellers. Ethiopia and the United States of America are the fourth and fifth popular travel destinations for Nigeria.
Also, according to the WTTC EIR 2024 for Nigeria, Nigeria’s travel and tourism industry is expected to contribute N9.55trn ($14.8b) this year (2024). This translates to about 3.9 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
This is a positive for the industry in Nigeria as it indicates a 0.2 per cent growth. The industry will contribute 2.71 million jobs, an increase from 1.98 million jobs the industry generated in 2023.
An important aspect of the WTTC EIR shows that the bulk of travel and tourism spending in the country comes from domestic tourism. While Nigeria’s international visitors’ spending stood at N491.9 billion ($760m), domestic visitors’ spending was N4.95 trillion ($7.7billion).
Globally, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) is anticipating historic milestone for the travel and tourism sector in 2024 and forecasts its global economic contribution to soar to $11.1 trillion, a figure surpassing all previous records, according to WTTC’s 2024 Economic Impact Research, conducted in collaboration with Oxford Economic.
According to the report, travel and tourism will contribute an additional $770 billion to the global economy compared to its previous record, solidifying its status as a dominant force in the world economy.
WTTC’s analysis shows that 142 out of 185 countries examined are expected to outperform their previous national records. The sector’s growth is also reflected in job creation, with WTTC estimating a global workforce of almost 348 million jobs, an increase of more than 13.6 million compared to 2019.
International visitor spending is projected to approach the peak levels of 2019, reaching $1.89 trillion, while domestic tourism expenditure is expected to surpass previous records, reaching $5.4 trillion.
“Against the backdrop of uncertainty, the travel and tourism sector remains a global economic powerhouse,” said Julia Simpson, president and CEO for WTTC. “This isn’t just about breaking records, we’re no longer talking about a recovery — this is a story of the sector back at its best after a difficult few years, providing a significant economic boost to countries around the world and supporting millions of jobs.”
