Participants at the Nigeria-China Food Festival in Abuja.
The Federal Government has identified food and beverage as the largest sub-sector of Nigeria’s tourism economy, stressing the potential of gastronomy to drive domestic tourism, create jobs and promote the country’s global cultural identity.
The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, stated this on Thursday at the Nigeria-China Food Festival held at the China Cultural Centre in Abuja.
Musawa, who was represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Abdulkarim Ibrahim, said the ministry’s recent tourism and creative industries mapping showed that food and beverage occupied the largest segment of the country’s tourism economy.
She said culinary experiences and food culture had become significant motivations for domestic travel, making gastronomy an important component of Nigeria’s tourism identity.
