Managing Tourism in Nigeria: the Security Option

Abstract

The World Tourism Conference which was held at Manila,Philippines in October 1980, considered the nature of tourism in all its aspects and the role tourism is bound to play in a dynamic and vastly changing world. The Manila Declaration on World Tourism argues that there are many constraint on the development of tourism, and groups of Nations should determine and study these constraints, and adopt measures aimed at removing their negative influence. It has been observed that violent crimes, civil unrest, kidnapping for ransom and terrorism to mention some, are enemies of tourism in Nigeria. Regrettably, the security warnings declared by Nation States and International Organizations against the danger posed by these constraints on tourism have been misconstrued as negative propaganda in Nigeria. This study seeks to identify some of these security hazards and attempt to proffer measures aimed at removing their negative influences. In the process, the empirical research methodology is applied and recommendations offered. The paper concludes that the very existence and development of tourism in Nigeria, depends entirely on the state of lasting peace. All stakeholders in the tourism industry must adopt all available means to counter these security risks so as to guarantee its sustainability in Nigeria. Key words: Managing; Tourism; Industry; Nigeria; Security, Option