By Priscilla Osaje and Kelu Musa
The Managing Director of News Agency of Nigeria(NAN), Malam Ali Muhammad Ali, says sports tourism has become a pillar of the modern economy and tourism sector, blending leisure, wealth creation and cultural exchange.
Ali stated this at the National Sports Tourism Conference and Exhibition (NASTOCE) organised by the Ringo Sports Club on Tuesday in Abuja.
The NAN helmsman commended organisers of the event with the theme, “Leveraging the Intersections between Multi-Sectoral MDAs to Promote Sports Tourism in Nigeria”.
According to him, the conference is timely and strategic especially at a time Nigeria is seeking to diversify its economy through non-oil sectors.
Ali noted that sports tourism had evolved beyond medals, trophies and competitions to become a major driver of culture, commerce and destination branding globally.
“I am delighted to be part of this important forum to reflect on the advent of sports tourism and the immense opportunities it offers our country.
“The greater task ahead for all relevant stakeholders is to work in unison in driving the growth of sports tourism in an era where sports has gone beyond conquest, medals and trophies,” he said.
Speaking on the sub-theme, “Amplifying the Pitch: NAN’s Media Strategies for Storytelling and Digital Promotion of Sports Tourism in Nigeria,” Ali said the agency remained committed to projecting Nigeria’s sports tourism potential.
This, he said is achievable through effective storytelling and digital media strategies.
According to him, sports tourism encompasses the intersection of the global sports and tourism industries.
He identified three major categories of sports tourism as active sports tourism, involving travel to participate in sports; spectator sports tourism, involving travel to watch sporting events.
He also noted nostalgia sports tourism, which entails visits to sports heritage sites and destinations.
“In essence, sports tourism is a rapidly growing travel sector involving trips taken to participate in, watch or visit destinations related to sports.
“In an increasingly shrinking world buffeted by economic challenges, sports tourism has now been described as the pillar of modern tourism,” he said.
Ali cited global statistics indicating that the travel and tourism sector contributed nearly 11 trillion dollars to global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2024.
He said the figure represented about 10 per cent of the world economy, and supporting approximately 357 million jobs worldwide.
He added that global sports tourism was estimated at about 565 billion dollars in 2023 and projected to exceed 1.3 trillion dollars by 2032.
According to him, the sector already accounts for about 10 per cent of global tourism spending.
Ali, however, noted that in spite its huge potential, sports tourism in Nigeria remained underutilised due to limited visibility and inadequate publicity.
He said NAN, as Africa’s largest news content provider, was strategically positioned to amplify awareness and promote Nigeria as a viable sports tourism destination.
The NAN boss urged stakeholders across sports, tourism and media sectors to collaborate in unlocking the country’s sports tourism potential for economic growth and national development.
Guest panelists
Also speaking as a guest panelist, Mr Benjamin Isaiah, National President of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) said the sport tourism was faced with infrastructure problem in Nigeria.
Isaiah, who was represented by Mr Ikenma Okonkwo, Secretary -General of SWAN, said that Nigeria is suffering backwardness in tourism, especially in sports because there was a lingering issue of deficit in infrastructure.
“Sport is what gives so much to families, businesses, countries, as well as everything to stakeholders involved in sporting industry”.
He appealed to governments at all levels to step up their game and support the media in order to have the infrastructure that would enable the tourism sector stand firm.
Mr Rotimi Pedro, Director-General, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), who was represented by Mr Kayode Ademiyi, General Manager of NTA, said they would continue to play the role of a unifying broadcast station in Nigeria.
According to him, when it comes to sports, NTA is known for its sport channel that mainly transmit sports for 24 hours, whether local or international.
Mallam Lanre Issa- Onilu, Director -General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), in his presentation on the sub-theme “Uniting the Nation through Sports Tourism”, said NOA seeks to build national pride and awareness for social cohesion and economic development through sport narratives.
Issa-Onilu, who was represented by Ngozi Oyem, Director, Youth Engagement and Inclusion, said the core mandate of the agency was to communicate government programmes, policies, and activities, especially towards mobilising citizens for national development.
“NOA believes that effective orientation begins with storytelling as well as celebrating our sporting heroes; showcasing unique Nigerian sports and games beyond mainstream sports, we will promote indigenous Nigerian sports and games.
“We utilise social media, digital campaigns, and interactive platforms to engage younger generations in celebrating Nigerian sports achievements and their destinations,” he said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Joshua Olomu
