Governments and policymakers have been urged to stop treating tourism as a mere leisure activity centred on holidays, hotels and attractions and begin to see it as a strategic economic asset capable of driving investment, trade, jobs and national development.
The call is contained in a new book by tourism strategist and policy adviser, Elizabeth Agboola, titled Tourism as Capital: 52 Weeks That Shaped Tourism as Capital Doctrine.
Agboola, who launched the book recently, argues that tourism sits at the intersection of several parts of the economy and should therefore occupy a more prominent place in national economic planning.
She argued that limiting tourism to visitor arrivals and hospitality businesses has obscured its wider economic value, particularly its ability to connect finance, infrastructure, agriculture, aviation, technology, diplomacy, trade and workforce development.
According to her, tourism is not simply about where people go on holiday or where they sleep when they arrive. It is about the movement of people, money, ideas, goods and opportunities across borders and communities.
