Chancellor of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University, Katsina, Senator Ibrahim Mohammed Ida, has called for a 10-year Tourism Transformation Roadmap for Nigeria, saying urgent and decisive action is needed to unlock the sector’s potential.

Senator Ida, who was speaking on the theme: “Tourism Transformation Through Collaboration, Policy Alignment and Investment, at the ninth Nigeria Tourism Investors Forum and Exposition (NTIFE) 2026 and the 29th AGM of FTAN in Abuja, said Nigeria must move from talk to action.

Ida, a former Federal Permanent Secretary, Waziri of Katsina, and proprietor of Bristol Palace Hotel group, decried decades of uncoordinated policies that have left tourism “poor and beggarly”.

He said tourism has been treated as an afterthought, instead of a real revenue earner, urging a shift from focusing only on volume and revenue to prioritising sustainability, community well-being, and technology.

Citing the successes of airlines, Nollywood, and Fintech, he said tourism should follow the same model of government creating space and private sector providing capital.

To drive growth, Ida recommended establishing a Tourism Investment One-Stop Shop in every state and at the federal level, and called on the National Assembly to create a harmonised Tourism Development Levy with the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority.

He stressed that Nigeria already has a good National Tourism Policy since 2017, but lacks implementation. He proposed a 10-year tourism transformation roadmap with clear targets for hotel rooms, tourist arrivals, GDP contribution, and job creation, with yearly performance reviews.

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On financing, Ida said promoting tourism is expensive. A 200-room hotel costs $20–$40 million, and resorts take 10–15 years to break even.

He proposed a Nigeria Tourism Development Fund (TDF) with long-term, single-digit interest, managed by the Bank of Industry, targeting N500 billion seed money for hotels, resorts, and cultural infrastructure.

He also called for real investor incentives: pioneer status, duty waiver on tourism equipment, five-year tax holiday, and guaranteed land titles to reassure investors that their money will be protected.

He noted that hospitality is the engine room of tourism and urged government to fix infrastructure deficits — power, water, roads, and security around tourist sites.

He called for revamping NIHOTOUR and partnering with private operators to train staff to international standards.

Ida said, “Tourism transformation is not a slogan, it is a choice” — the choice to collaborate, align policy, and invest long-term. “The assets are here. The market is here. The people are here. The only thing missing is decisive action.”