Can Tourism Drive Post Covid-19 Economic Development: Perspective on the Nigerian Case

Abstract

The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has created disruptions in the Nigerian economy that must be systematically handled if the economy is not only to bounce back from its present state of recession but also grow and develop after the end of the pandemic. Traditionally, Nigeria has been a mono product economy wherein the petroleum sector has been the driving force behind the nation's economic and development performance. However, given the failure of previous attempts at economic diversification through agriculture and industry, and the damaging impact of the pandemic on other service sector activities especially the emerging Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) market, it becomes imperative to examine alternative activity areas for promoting growth and development of the economy post COVID-19. This paper examines the case of tourism. The paper argues that tourism can provide a platform for re-engineering the economy after the negative impact of COVID-19. It highlights some important tourist attractions in the country, the tourists experience they offer, and their revenue earning cum development potentials. The paper concludes that if properly integrated into the nation's development framework, tourism has the potential to drive economic development in Nigeria.