Stakeholders in Nigeria’s tourism and e-commerce sectors have stated that operators must embrace digital innovation, technology and artificial intelligence, warning that the next wave of industry revenue will depend on how easily Nigerians can discover, book and pay for travel services rather than the attractiveness of destinations alone.
The call came during the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry Hotel and Tourism Group Joint Seminar with the E-Commerce Group held in Lagos on Wednesday and themed ‘Tourism Meets Innovation: Powered by E-Commerce.’
Speaking at the event, the President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Leye Kupoluyi, said tourism and e-commerce had become a single digital growth engine capable of transforming Nigeria’s travel and hospitality landscape.
According to him, the World Travel and Tourism Council projects that the tourism and e-commerce sectors will contribute N11.2tn to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product in 2025, up from N10.9tn in 2024, while domestic tourism expenditure is expected to reach N6.1tn.
“Tourism and e-commerce are no longer adjacent industries in Nigeria; they are converging into one digital growth engine, and whoever masters that merger first wins the next decade of African travel and hospitality,” Kupoluyi said.
