The National Assembly stated that it will continue to pass enabling laws to promote tourism and foster sustainable growth in the sector, thereby enhancing Nigeria’s tourism industry.

The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Tourism, Honourable Muhammed Muktar, stated this while fielding questions from newsmen at the 2026 National Hospitality and Tourism Stakeholders’ Forum organised by the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), themed “Shaping the Future of Nigerian Tourism Together”.

Muktar, who represents Kazaure, Roni, Gwiwa, ‘Yankwashi Federal Constituency of Jigawa State, said lawmakers are keen on passing laws that will not only shape the tourism sector but also drive the economy and improve the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). He added that a motion has been proposed to move tourism and tourism-related matters into the concurrent list, rather than the residual list, which has impeded agencies’ access to tourism activities.

He said, “From the legislative point of view, we are trying to strengthen the laws, that is the tourism laws. And to make sure that we regulate the tourism sector for sustainable growth in terms of laws that will help make this sector thrive. We are to laws that will be able to shape the tourism industry and make it a sector that will drive the economy and improve the GDP of the country.

“A motion has been moved. We have a bill to make tourism and tourism-related matters into the concurrent list, before it was on residual list. This is what gives us bottleneck and agencies to operate fully, because when you say it is on the residual list, it means the states are in charge to man and manage tourism and tourism affairs. But when they are on concurrent list, we have a balance and we try to make sure that we have changed the narratives of overlapping mandates. You see, there are too much overlapping mandates, fragmentation, lack of enforcement of standards. So, I feel with good legislation, we’ll be able to make amends to those kind of overlapping mandates.”

The NTDA Director-General, Ola Awakan, in his opening remarks, called for timelines for tourism activities and emphasised the need for shared commitment to reposition tourism as a critical pillar of Nigeria’s economic diversification, cultural promotion, and global engagement, as well as the need for public-private partnerships, legislative support, investment in tourism and hospitality infrastructure, and capacity building.

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The DG said, “Nigerian tourism cannot be built in isolation. It requires strong collaboration, continuous innovation, and unwavering commitment from all stakeholders. This forum therefore, provides us with a platform to share ideas, build consensus, and define clear, actionable pathways for the growth and sustainability of the sector. With this impressive turnout, it is clear that there is strong stakeholder commitment to the sector, and moving forward, this forum will evolve into a periodic national tourism stakeholders’ town hall series, with the inaugural series set to commence next year, growing from this modest beginning into a major national platform.”

“This forum is not merely a ceremonial gathering; it is a strategic convergence point designed to foster dialogue, strengthen alignment, and catalyze actionable outcomes for the growth of the tourism sector. Notably, this National Tourism Stakeholders’ Forum represents the very first of its kind at the national level, although zonal stakeholders’ engagements and facilitation meetings have been held at various times across the country. Tourism, both globally and within our national context, thrives on a tripod framework consisting of attractions, hospitality and transportation.

He added, “Attractions represent our rich natural endowments, cultural heritage, festivals, and creative assets; hospitality defines the quality of experiences and services we provide to visitors; while transportation ensures accessibility, connectivity, and ease of movement across destinations. The effectiveness of our tourism sector is therefore dependent on how well these three pillars are developed, integrated, and managed. This forum provides us with a unique opportunity to harmonize stakeholder efforts, identify critical gaps, and co-create sustainable strategies that will strengthen these foundational elements.”

The meeting, convened to strengthen tourism governance through hospitality and tourism regulation as enshrined in the NTDA Act 2022, among others, according to a communiqué released by the organisers, also highlighted key implementation and governance challenges, particularly around inter-agency coordination, access to incentives, and the management of the Tourism Development Fund, and recommended stronger institutional synergy, enhanced fiscal accountability, and clear regulatory frameworks to ensure effective and sustainable tourism development.

It also adopted and enforced a unified national standardisation framework for the hospitality sector, including clear guidelines on service quality, safety, hygiene, staff training, and facility classification to enhance competitiveness, consumer confidence, and alignment with global best practices.

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