The National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), marking a significant milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to build a globally competitive and data-driven hospitality, travel, and tourism industry.

The partnership represents a bold step toward transforming Nigeria’s tourism landscape by deepening research, strengthening sector intelligence, and enabling more informed policy decisions. With improved access to credible data, government agencies, investors, personnel, practitioners, and industry stakeholders will now be better equipped to identify opportunities, monitor growth, and strategically expand the value of tourism in national development.

The hospitality, travel, and tourism sector continues to gain prominence as one of Nigeria’s most dynamic channels for job creation, enterprise development, and cultural promotion. However, the absence of unified, reliable data has long limited the country’s ability to harness its potential fully. Through the MOU, NIHOTOUR and NBS commit to: • Strengthened data collection and analysis across accommodation, transportation, events, recreation, culinary tourism, destination activities, and workforce trends. • Joint research outputs that will serve as the official reference point for policymakers, investors, and development partners. • Capacity building initiatives that improve national understanding of industry standards, measurement frameworks, and global best practices. • A shared tourism intelligence system that enhances planning, forecasting, and regulatory improvements.

Speaking on the MoU, the Director General NIHOTOUR Aare Abisoye Fagade said: “This partnership marks a turning point for the sector. Reliable data is the backbone of meaningful progress. With this MOU, we are paving the way for smarter investments, better training, and a more globally competitive tourism industry.”

In his speech, the Statistician General, Prince Adeyemi said his parastatal is committed to supporting the tourism sector: “NBS is committed to supporting sectors that hold great promise for Nigeria’s economic future. This collaboration ensures that the hospitality, travel, and tourism sector will now benefit from the same level of statistical rigour applied to other critical industries.”

The new MoU between the two federal parastatal will postion Nigeria for the festive seaason The festive season remains the busiest period for Nigeria’s tourism ecosystem, energising hotels, short-lets, airlines, road transport, restaurants, fashion, nightlife, cultural festivals, entertainment events, and local SMEs. NIHOTOUR and NBS will track trends, visitor flows, spending patterns, and workforce movement during the season to better understand and maximise its economic benefits. This will help operators, destination managers, and state governments improve planning, pricing, crowd management, and service delivery during high-traffic periods.

NIHOTOUR’s DG also said The MOU aligns with national efforts to reposition tourism as a major non-oil revenue source, strengthen professional training, and improve Nigeria’s global brand appeal. It also complements the ongoing drive to support personnel and practitioners across the hospitality, travel, and tourism value chain. By harmonising expertise, NIHOTOUR’s leadership in capacity development and NBS’s technical strength in statistical systems, Nigeria is laying a strong foundation for sustainable and inclusive growth in the sector.