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Five Nigerian destinations to explore for less than $50

There is no gainsaying that Nigeria is endowed with lush green vegetation, faux and fauna, awesome tourist attractions, historical monuments and much more. Each Nigerian state has something to offer tourists. The interesting thing here is that Nigerians have recognized this fact and are beginning to tour Nigeria. Efforts by Jumia’s hotel and flight marketplace…

The Calabar Carnival Dancers at the Christmas Carnival in Cross River State.

There is no gainsaying that Nigeria is endowed with lush green vegetation, faux and fauna, awesome tourist attractions, historical monuments and much more. Each Nigerian state has something to offer tourists.

The interesting thing here is that Nigerians have recognized this fact and are beginning to tour Nigeria. Efforts by Jumia’s hotel and flight marketplace through Jumia Travel, is beginning to yield results.

The online travel agency has been promoting Nigeria as an exciting tourist hub that you do not need to break the bank to visit. It has listed on its website packages to different local destinations.

As an incentive to encourage local travel and support tour operators, the OTA opened up its platform to tour operators to list their tour packages.

Nevertheless, some Nigerians still think you cannot travel Nigeria on a budget. This is far from the truth. For $50 (19k) or less, you can explore some states.

So, if you have been searching for a state (s) you can explore for less than the referenced amount, here are some of them. Ogun (Olumo Rock, Adire Market & the Presidential Library)

For Ogun state, $50 is too much especially if you reside in Lagos. It is very affordable to visit this southwestern state and of course, there is so much to do in the state’s capital – the ancient city of Abeokuta.

One of Lagos next door neighbour’s most valuable possession is the Olumo Rock. The rock served as a source of refuge during the war era.

There is also the Itoku Market where you can have a firsthand experience of how the indigenous traditional Adire is made. You can also explore the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library.

Osun (Osun/Osogbo groove, Erin Ijesha Waterfall, and the Osun/Osogbo festival)
Osun is the cradle of the Yorubas’. As such, persons of Yoruba extraction revere it. It is the bedrock of Yoruba culture and you can visit to see cultural sites and festivals to celebrate Osun state‘s very cultural background.

On your itinerary, add a visit to the Unesco World Heritage site, Osun Osogbo groove, the popular Osun/Osogbo festival and experience nature at Erin-Ijesha Waterfall.

Calabar (The Calabar Carnival)
Calabar has so much to offer in terms of tourism. The state, over the years, has positioned itself as a must-visit for local and international tourists.

Calabar, located in south-south Nigeria, has the Slave Museum, Statue of Mary Slessor, Calabar Drill Monkey Ranch, Agbokim Waterfall, the Obudu Cattle Ranch, Tinapa Resort, Waterfall and host Africa’s biggest street party, the Calabar Carnival. You cannot visit all these destinations for less than $50. You have to increase your budget. But with this said amount, you will comfortably visit any one of these destinations.
Lagos (Nigeria’s Commercial City)

Lagos is never a dull city. There are so many things to do in Lagos. There are destinations to explore, monuments to see, museums to visit, clubs to unwind, and beaches to pass time. Just ask for what you want to do and there is a spot or hub for it as far as it is legal. You will really have a swell time in Lagos.

Abia (Nigeria War Museum, New Yam & Mmanwu festival, Ariaria International Market)
Abia state in South East Nigeria is also a destination you can visit for $50. Dominated by the Igbos, and they hold their culture in high esteem. They have a handful of festivals to celebrate their cultural heritage: Mmanwu (masquerade festival), Museum of Colonial History, New Yam festival and others. You can also experience the industriousness of ‘Abian’ by visiting one of the biggest markets in West Africa – The Ariaria International Market. And to round off your visit, go learn about the Biafran War at Nigeria War Museum. Due to the distance, it is advisable to go with a group of travellers to reduce costs.

New UNWTO Finding Shows Women Lead In Tourism
To mark the International Women’s Day, UNWTO, in collaboration with UN Women, the German Cooperation Agency (GIZ), World Bank Group and Amadeus, has released preliminary findings of the second edition of Global Report on Women in Tourism.

ITB Berlin, the world’s leading trade fair, provided the backdrop to announcing The Global Report. The initial results indicate that across the private and public sectors women are harnessing the potential of tourism to become financially independent, challenge stereotypes and start their own businesses.

Research has also shown more and more women are challenging gender stereotypes in the sector. In Morocco women have been issued tour guide licenses for the first time. An airline in the UK has doubled the number of female pilots they employ. Uganda’s Hotel Owner’s Association is now lead by its first female CEO, Jean Byamugisha.

These are but a few examples, which can be found around the world. Together, they add up to a growing trend.

Technology has also been an important factor for empowerment, providing women with more training opportunities and stimulating entrepreneurship through easier access to the tourism market.

In the public sphere, policy-makers are waking up to the importance of gender equality in tourism putting measures in place to ensure women fairly share the benefits that tourism can bring.

Speaking on these findings UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili, said, “tourism is leading the charge for female empowerment all over the world.”

He added, “UNWTO is firmly committed to working towards UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 – the empowerment of women and girls – and ensuring that tourism continues to be at the forefront of gender-equality efforts.”

UNWTO is compiling the second edition of the Global Report on Women in Tourism in collaboration with UN Women, GIZ, World Bank Group and Amadeus. These preliminary findings have been released to mark International Women’s Day 2019. The full report will be published in Autumn 2019.
 
Meanwhile, fostering knowledge, education and growth in tourism, is at the centre of a partnership announced between Google and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Google will support UNWTO members in addressing the new digital trends and transformation challenges faced by tourism and needed by the sector, to fully harness its development potential and contribution to sustainability.

Digital skills are crucial for competitiveness in tourism, a sector characterized by technological change and the generation of new business models.

“This agreement with Google coincides with UNWTO’s special focus on education, skills development and jobs, the connecting thread of all our actions this year”, said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili.

“Google is an affiliate member of UNWTO and this partnership proves the importance of public-private collaboration to advance tourism as a vehicle for sustainable development”, he added.

Lutz Behrendt, Travel Industry Leader, from Google  said, “More than half of tourism revenue in the EU is now researched or booked online. By equipping tourism ministries with the skills, tools and programmes they need to market and protect themselves online, we hope it will increase opportunities for jobs and revenue across the industry. Following a similar tourism programme we ran in Greece, 68% of participating businesses confirmed they saw concrete business results following our training, such as more visitors to their website or physical business.”

A High-Level Dialogue on Digital Skills in Tourism set the backdrop for announcing the agreement.

Organized by UNWTO with the support of Google during ITB Berlin, the world`s leading travel trade fair, the event underscored that digital skills development remain a major priority for destinations around Europe.

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