NIHOTOUR Director-General Aare (Dr.) Abisoye Fagade championed smart and inclusive tourism for Nigeria at the Europe-Africa Investment Summit in Athens, highlighting digital transformation, workforce readiness, and strategic partnerships

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]are (Dr.) Abisoye Fagade, Director-General/CEO of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), represented Nigeria at the Europe-Africa Investment Summit in Athens, Greece, championing smart and inclusive tourism development.

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As a high-level panellist on “Data-Driven Destination Management,” Aare Fagade highlighted Nigeria’s commitment to leveraging digital transformation, workforce readiness, and smart regulation for sustainable and inclusive growth in its tourism, hospitality, and travel sector, aligning with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Aare Fagade emphasized NIHOTOUR’s crucial role in human capital development and its expanding mandate as a regulatory authority for standards and innovation within the industry.

He underscored how technology, including massive data, artificial intelligence, and digital infrastructure, can significantly enhance various aspects of the tourism sector, such as personalised marketing, smart infrastructure planning, sustainable resource management, crisis response, and business tourism (MICE) development.

Showcasing Nigeria’s emerging tourism landscape, Aare Fagade spotlighted innovative business models that prioritize both profitability and social and environmental responsibility.

These included community-based ecotourism hubs like Idanre Hills, digital storytelling and booking platforms such as Irin Journal, green hospitality ventures like Jara Beach Resort, creative and cultural tourism enterprises exemplified by Nike Art Gallery, and diaspora-focused remote work tourism initiatives.

“These models reflect what the future of Nigerian tourism must be—sustainable, inclusive, and digitally driven,” Aare Fagade stated.

“NIHOTOUR is not only training the next generation of tourism personnel and practitioners but also working to set national benchmarks and regulatory standards to ensure quality, safety, and competitiveness.”

Furthermore, Aare Fagade outlined strategic frameworks for fostering public-private-community partnerships to develop smart infrastructure, bolster rural tourism economies, and attract investment in underutilised destinations.

His proposals encompassed joint infrastructure development, SME-focused tourism enterprise zones, inclusive procurement policies, community co-ownership models, and digital training for tourism entrepreneurs.

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Concluding his presentation, Aare Fagade issued a national call to action on human capital development, identifying eight key policy priorities for Nigeria and Africa, ranging from curriculum reform and vocational training to digital inclusion, gender equity, and workforce innovation—all integral to NIHOTOUR’s transformation agenda.