Special Report (Investigative Journalism): Driving Economic Growth With Cultural Heritage Tourism: Lessons For Cultural Sites In The Lake Chad Basin Region II
By Usman Abba
26th August, 2022
Cultural and heritage tourism plays an important role in building the visitor’s economy and goes beyond that. A recent survey showed that more than 50% of survey respondents agreed that history and culture have a strong influence on their choice of holiday destination.
In fact, cultural and heritage tourism is a rapidly growing and profitable sector. Statistics also showed that cultural and heritage tourism continues to grow rapidly, especially in East African regions. Experts have estimated the direct global value of cultural and heritage tourism at more than $1 billion globally. For example, in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) region, cultural heritage tourism is valued at nearly $327 million and the sector is already directly responsible for more than 50 million jobs in the APEC countries. Furthermore, the indirect benefits of cultural and heritage tourism are believed to reach $1 billion and account for another 75 million jobs across the region. What about Nigeria? What about the Lake Chad Basin region?
KanemPress investigation reveals that there is no denying the fact cultural heritage tourism tends to attract high-return tourists. While global figures are hard to come by, all the available statistics about tourism in various countries (for example, UK, New Zealand, Australia, India, etc.) revealed a consistent pattern. But in Nigeria, the situation is quite different. Why?
The cultural tourism industry is in a trance state in Nigeria, particularly in the northeastern geopolitical region where people are proud to have one of the oldest canoes in the world, the Dufuna Canoe; the ruins of the burnt brick walls of Ngazargamu city. Ngazargamu is one of the capitals of the ancient Kanem-Borno Empire, the longest running empire in Africa; Sukur Cultural Site (in Madagali, Adamawa State, a UNESCO approved site); and the ruins of Rabeh Ibn Fadlallah’s Fortress in Dikwa, Borno State, among others. Rabeh was the last warrior who fought the Kanem-Borno Empire. Historians dubbed him the “Napoleon of Africa”.
Culture and heritage tourists often spend longer and generally spend a lot more money than other tourists do. In fact, KanemPress investigation reveals that the culture and heritage tourists spend up to 38% higher per day and stay 22% longer overall compared to other types of travelers. KanemPress investigation further shows that while cultural tourism sites in other parts of the world (including other parts of Africa) enjoy great patronage by tourists, Nigerian cultural tourism sites, especially those in the Lake Chad Basin region are left at the mercy of weather and Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists.
For example, although statistical evidence does not show consistency when it comes to repeat visitors, tourism data on culture and heritage visitors in the United States indicates that the level of repeat visitation among this group of travelers is higher than that of traditional tourists. Our cultural heritage site administrations must cooperate with those in developed countries in order to develop cultural heritage sites in northeastern Nigeria as well as in the entire Lake Chad region to become an enclave for all tourists.
Cultural Heritage Encourages Engagement
KanemPress survey has shown that culture and heritage tourists usually visit cultural heritage attraction sites such as historical buildings and other historical monuments; historical location; state, local or national parks; art galleries or museums; concerts, plays or musicals; ethnic or environmental heritage sites, etc. Tourists interviewed said that these trips are more memorable than traditional holiday trips because they allow them to learn something new. Umar H. Dram is a Professor of History at University of Maiduguri and lately at the American University of Nigeria (AUN) argued that the tourists’ focus on learning something and gaining enrichment is identified by viewing the trend as a key global trend in travel.
Culture and heritage tourists who were interviewed say at the Gideon Makala Museum in Kano city said that they often extend their stay due to a heritage activity. The majority of these travelers stay overnight in local motels or hotels. KanemPress investigation has gathered that culture and heritage tourists, especially foreign ones, who fly in from richer foreign countries in Europe, America, Australia, Canada, etc. tend to invest more money in the local economy, spending more than other types of tourists per trip.
However, despite the patronage of some of Nigeria’s cultural heritage sites by foreigners, KanemPress investigation has discovered that fewer Nigerians, fewer African nationals and fewer people from China, India and other big economies in the Eastern Hemisphere do visit Nigeria’s cultural heritage sites as tourists. Worse still, except for high profile tourist attractions such as the Ankara Game Reserve that relatively still enjoys quite number of tourists, most other cultural heritage sites in the northeast of Nigeria and Lake Chad Basis region do not enjoy substantial visits by tourists whether locals or foreigners.
However, Dr. Ngai Izanagi, who is an archaeologist and historian at the Age Badalona University, Addo-Ekiti (ABUA) in Nigeria But argued that these economic advantages are not the only reason why heritage tourism is beneficial to the community. According to the scholar, the benefits of cultural and heritage tourism are amplified by the nation’s economy. Therefore, its impact is much broader than just direct spending levels. So what are the benefits of cultural heritage tourism?
KanemPress interviews with think-tanks in the business of cultural heritage tourism yielded results that agree with assertions made historians and archeologists of international repute such as Abdullahi Smith, Heinrich Barth, Richmond Palmer and Kevin Shillington who outlined some general advantages of heritage tourism, which according to them are categorized into three: (1) social, (2) environmental and (3) economic. The responses of the key informant interviewees (think tanks) by KanemPress that go in unison with the assertions of those erudite scholars are outlined in the three mentioned categories below.
Social advantages of cultural heritage tourism
- It promotes community beautification
- It builds opportunities for healthy and beneficial community relationships and partnerships
- It helps build social capital
- It promotes positive behavior
- It helps to improve the image and pride of society
- Provides research, education and employment opportunities for students
- It promotes the preservation of local traditions, customs and culture
- It creates interesting opportunities for both locals and visitors who are attracted to cultural arts, history and conservation
- It promotes local investment in heritage resources and facilities that support tourism services
KanemPress investigation has further shown that UNESCO now recognizes that intangible cultural heritage such as folklores, folk songs, verbal traditions, etc. as just as important as buildings and artefacts. The market for cultural and heritage tourism experiences and traditional projects provides economic support to keep these skills and traditions alive. According to Dr. J. Adejuvvon, a one-time Director-General of Nigerian Tourist Board, there is even evidence that helping to maintain buildings with personal culture and heritage tourism can contribute to innovation and business diversification in the regions of Nigeria.
Environmental advantages of cultural heritage tourism
- It promotes awareness of a tourist site, a tourist attraction, or the importance of an area
- It helps encourage a culture of conservation
- It helps encourage local residents and visitors to pay attention to their impact on the natural and built environment; and handling it properly can provide a reason to invest in things like sanitation and water resources
Economic advantages of cultural heritage tourism
- It supports small businesses and enables them to expand
- It encourages effective conservation and protection of important local resources
- It injects new money into the economy, boosting businesses and tax revenue
- Helps encourage development and maintenance of new/existing community facilities
- It creates new jobs, businesses, events and attractions, helping to diversify the local economy
- Builds vital relationships between and within local communities
Finally, have you now seen why KanemPress believes that cultural heritage tourism is so vital to the economy? States and federal cultural heritage site Managements should strive to seek public-private partnership in order to maximize the opportunities investing in cultural heritage tourism brings.
The Collaborative Media Engagement supported by Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), is aimed to strengthen media independence and presence, especially at the sub-national levels, state, local government and the private sector, in a bid to improve public awareness and the ecosystem for transparency, accountability and good governance.
