Industry players have cautioned that increased operational expenses, poor service delivery, and a lack of coordination throughout the tourism value chain are putting increasing strain on Nigeria’s rapidly expanding yuletide tourism boom, also known as Detty December. Gbenga Onitilo, Managing Director of Travelden, a division of Finchglow Holdings Ltd., voiced concerns about exorbitant costs in the entertainment and hotel industries.During a meeting with Finchglow Holdings, Onitilo told reporters that “overpricing is prevalent across hand short-let apartments, hiking their rates far beyond reasonable seasonal adjustments.” Show promoters are charging unreasonable prices for VIP tables and concert tickets. He claimed that because part of the guests are from the diaspora, many establishments in the hospitality and entertainment industries now base their prices on foreign exchange. “They no longer base their actions on our reality. Because the government has not seen a chance to develop a mechanism to regulate it, it is now affecting affordability and driving people to travel to other countries, he said.In order to organize the Detty December program, Onitilo asked the government to collaborate with the players further. “Overpricing is one of the main issues we are seeing this December, Detty. The cost of hotels, apartments, and even reasonably priced ones is six times higher than usual, he continued. In a same vein, the Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria (ATPN) warned that even before the busiest celebrations start, the December travel spike—which was primarily caused by Nigerians living abroad and Nigerians in the diaspora—may find it difficult to maintain momentum this season. The National President of ATPN, Femi Fadina, stated in a statement released in Lagos that the industry is becoming more and more characterized by luxury-level price coupled with mediocre service quality, a mismatch that jeopardizes Nigeria’s appeal as a holiday travel destination.
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