'Same Goal, Different Results': A Comparative Study of Tourism and Economic Development in Nigeria and Malaysia, 1995-2020

Abstract

This paper undertook a comparative study of tourism and its impact on the economic development of Nigeria and Malaysia between 1995 and 2020. To this end, the paper employed both qualitative and quantitative methods with emphasis on the use of secondary sources for data generation and analysis. Using information sourced from books, journal articles and online databases of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), World Bank and World Trade and Tourism Council (WTTC), the study demonstrated that although the two countries started their quest to kick-start economic growth through tourism development under almost similar circumstances in the 1970s, the two countries are currently poles apart in their international ratings, both in terms of economic advancement and tourism indices. While Malaysia has been able to come up with a macro-economic approach to planning its tourism development and it is deepening its tourism successes, the approach in Nigeria is haphazard, unscientific and piecemeal and it continues to be regarded as “potential,†only displaying latent prospects in tourism but lacking adequate governance of the sector. The study recommended the Malaysian model and urged Nigerian tourism managers to explore the opportunities/advantages the country has in tourism to foster economic development.

Keywords: Comparative Study, Economy, Development, History, Malaysia, Nigeria, Tourism