Tourism in Nigeria: new policy and planning directions needed for a neglected sector.

Abstract This chapter reflects on a neglected export sector in the Nigerian economy, that of tourism, in order to identify whether some refinements to the existing principles of developing tourism are merited. It then goes on to hint at both the issues that deserve consideration for future tourism development in Nigeria and also the general implications that the continued neglect of the sector portends. Strategic resource allocation, human resource development, funding of the tourism sector, and public-private sector roles are identified as the essential inputs to tourism development in general, highlighting their strategic importance with respect to policy and planning principles, as a framework for exploring the future growth and direction of the tourism sector in Nigeria in particular.