Enoh charges practitioners on trillion-dollar sports tourism economy

By Okorie Uguru

Nigeria’s Minister of Sports, Senator John Owan Enoh has charged tourism industry practitioners in the country to explore business opportunities in sports tourism. He noted that sports tourism is a high yield sub-sector valued at over one trillion dollars worldwide. Enoh spoke at the 28th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigerian (FTAN).  He said: “As it is right now, 8.2 billion dollars has been put into hosting the Paris Olympics. An average of 3.1 million visitors are expected in Paris and almost two million spill-over to the neighbouring countries. Fifty billion dollars is what is expected to be spent within the two weeks of the Olympics.  So, whatever the government of France has invested in all of these, has already come back in terms of people coming to the country and spending an average of 500 dollars per person.

“If we go further, we find out that the sports tourism market globally is estimated at about 1.2 trillion dollars. The question is: what chunk of that is Nigeria getting?”

The minister noted that the Nigerian tourism industry holds great potential for the nation’s economic future, and believes the private sector has a role  to play in the development of tourism in the country. He urged industry practitioners to explore ways to grow and sustain the sector. He said: “Nigeria with a rich cultural heritage, diverse landscapes, vibrant city, is uniquely positioned as a premier tourist destination, from the bustling market in Lagos to the serenity of Obudu, and from the historic city of Kano to the pristine beaches in Calabar, our nation offers  a wealth of experiences that can attract visitors from around the world.

“However, to fully realise these potentials, we must harness the power of the private sector working in partnership with the public sector to guide growth and ensure sustainability in our tourism industry. If things are working at an optimum, we believe that we should be contributing as much as 10 per cent, if not higher to the employment quota.”