Lai Mohammed: Nigeria’s tourism businesses won’t grow without use of data

Lai Mohammed, former minister of information and culture, says tourism businesses in Nigeria will not grow without the use of data.

Mohammed, special advisor to the secretary-general, United Nations World Tourism Oranisation (UNWTO), spoke on Friday at the 6th Hotel Managers’ Conference and Award ceremony in Lagos state.

The former minister said the use of data can improve the services of businesses in the tourism sector.

“The application of data enables businesses in the hospitality industry to re-engineer their guest experiences to meet individual needs and increase guest satisfaction and loyalty,” he said.

“By analysing available data, including potential source markets, existing customer data, demographics, guest preferences, booking patterns and feedback, businesses are able to improve their service offerings for resilience and excellence.”

Citing data from the ‘Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Data 2017 – 2021 (2023 Edition)’, Mohammed said in 2019, Nigeria received 482,483 visitors from Central Africa, 731,931 from West Africa, and 230,280 from Northern Europe.

The special advisor said businesses need to know these visitors and cater to their needs.

“Is your business prepared to receive guests from these countries? Do your staff, particularly front office staff, understand the cultural nuances of these countries?” Mohammed asked.

“The way you greet an American for example may appear rude or disrespectful to a Nigerian.

“A funny joke to a Ghanaian may be very costly to a Chinese!”

The former minister said tourism businesses should also be able to cater to the needs of Nigerians who live abroad – that makes more than all top seven source markets combined.

“How have you positioned your hospitality outfit to receive our brothers and sisters in the diaspora? How are you marketing or promoting your brands to attract more of them so they can enjoy your excellent services when they visit home?” he said.

“Why have we done badly with the Caribbean and South America, especially given our historical connections?

“I am sure we all followed the recent Ojude Oba Festival and saw how it trended all over social media.”

Mohammed added that the Nigerian festivals would appeal to citizens of the Caribbean and South American countries that have a large population of people with African ancestry.