Hospitality industry growing despite economic challenges
The Nigeria’ s hospitality industry has come a long way.
Over the last 20 yeras, the sector had been witnessing phenomenal growth in spread, aesthetics and patronage both by their Nigerian and foreign customers.
- Although, the industry is facing many challenges, including inadequate power supply, security, negative global publicity and other issues issues facing it, the industry has remained investors’ choice due to the size of the nation’s market.
Indeed, a tremendous amount of growth has been recorded in the hospitality industry and its other associated businesses, such as fast food, restaurant chains and hotels.
In hospitality, apart from hosting services, including restaurants, bars, cruise lines, parks and gardens, hotels happen to be a strong feature in the industry, forming a major attraction for both residents and travelers, who rely on the hotels for their comfort and business activities, among other reasons.
In the past 20 years, there have been a renewed desire for both local and foreign investors tapping into hotel businesses in the country.
Across the country, several of such hotels dot the landscape. Many of them also contribute to the development of their host communities, including providing employment for the people, among other benefits.
Consequently, global players players like Starwood Hotels & Resorts offers a unique range of brands in Nigeria including Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton. Also brands like South Africa’s Protea, America’s Star Points, Marriott Group, among others have invested heavily in the country in connection with a strong investment stream from local entrepreneurs who have committed local funds to multi-classes of developments.
With a wide array of hotels in the country, including other tourism outfits, stakeholders in the nation’s hospitality industry have given the sector a pass mark.
Commenting on the state of hospitality industry in Nigeria, former General Manager of Max Royal Hotel, Mrs. Ngozi Ibelegbu said that the industry is arguably one of the most buyant sector of the economy, especially in this time when we are faced with a recession, which the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, said we were now exiting.
According to her, the hospitality industry is a broad category of fields within the service industry that includes lodging, restaurants, event planning, theme parks, transportation, cruise line, and additional fields within the tourism industry.
She however, said that the hospitality industry is a several billion-dollar industry that mostly depends on the availability of leisure time and disposable income, adding that,a hospitality unit such as a restaurant, hotel, or even an amusement park consists of multiple groups such as facility maintenance, direct operations (servers, housekeepers, porters, kitchen workers, bartenders, etc.), management, marketing, and human resources.
This is an Industry that regardless of which of the fields you choose to explore, it involves bringing people together.
So, there are lot of improvements oAlthough, Ibelegbu said competition is high in the sector; but maintained that healthy competition encourages most hotel owners on the right steps to take.n a daily basis. We try to know what their complaints are; and through that one would be able know what the issue is and deal with them,Ibelegbu said.
On his own part, Chief Executive Officer NANET Hotels and Suites, Abuja, Mr. Ini Akpabio said the major challenges, which had been facing the hospitality industry over the years were insecurity and poor infrastructure.
According to Akpabio, there is need for Nigerians to imbibe the culture of discipline in every ramification of their lives, just as he advised for zero tolerance to corruption.
There is nothing like industrialization without electricity, there is need for emergence electricity for the hospitality sector to grow”, Akpabio added.
Despite these challenges, the hospitality sector continuous to witness a big boom. This is self-evident in the number of hotels that have invested in Nigeria.
For example, Transcorp Hilton Abuja Hotel, a five- star luxury hotel located in Maitama, Abuja, has been in business for many years. With its location in the heart of Nigeria’s Federal Capital, the Transcorp Hilton Abuja hotel offers easy access to the commercial district, Abuja tourist attractions.
Set on beautifully landscaped gardens, the hotel offers a wide range of business and leisure facilities. This is in addition to the Abuja Sheraton Hotel and Towers, which is another luxury hotel in Abuja, about 40 km from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. In Lagos, hotels such as Eko Hotel, Lagos, Lagos Oriental, Protea Victoria Island Sheraton Hotel Lagos and Protea Hotel, Ikeja.
There are, however, many other hotels in major cities like Port Harcourt, Benin City, Calabar, Kaduna, Kano, Enugu, Lokoja, Ilorin, Kabba, Ibadan, Sokoto, Onitsha, Awka, Owerri and Uyo.
