Cinema, Soft Power & Tourism: Why Nollywood Must Enter Nigeria’s Tourism Economy

Nigeria’s tourism conversation has long focused on infrastructure, visas, and policy reforms. But according to Elizabeth Agboola, Founder and CEO of NTT Global Destinations, the country may be overlooking its most powerful tourism driver already in motion: cinema.
 
Here is an excerpt

I fell in love with Korea long before I ever stepped foot in Seoul through K-dramas. So when I finally walked into a Korean cinema to watch a Korean movie in Korea, it felt strangely emotional. Like completing a cultural story I had been following from afar. And that moment sparked a question I haven’t been able to let go of:
 
Why isn’t cinema intentionally part of Nigeria’s tourism experience?
We have one of the largest film industries in the world by volume. We have a global audience that consumes Nigerian stories daily. We have tourists diaspora, business travellers, festival visitors, December returnees who already feel connected to Nigeria through film.
And yet… when they arrive here, cinema is not positioned as an experience. It is not a tourism product. It is not a cultural showcase. It is not a soft-power asset. It simply exists unleveraged, unaligned, underutilised.
In a country where culture leads before policy ever catches up, this is a missed opportunity we can no longer afford to overlook.
Nollywood Is More Than Entertainment, It Is National Identity in Motion
Nigeria’s film industry is not merely productive; it is influential. It shapes perception at scale, across continents. Here’s what Nollywood already does for Nigeria without trying:

1. It builds familiarity
   People feel like they know Nigeria because they know our characters, our accents, our households, our humour, our conflicts, our joys.
2. It reduces cultural distance
   Film is empathy. Before people visit a place, they must first feel connected to it.
3. It softens national branding
   What news cannot fix, storytelling often does.
4. It inspires travel curiosity
   Scenes turn into destinations. Stories turn into itineraries. Tourism begins long before travel and Nollywood has already been doing the pre-travel work globally. So why isn’t our tourism strategy completing the loop?
   Nigeria’s Tourism Gap: Culture Leads, Systems Lag Behind
   Let’s be honest with ourselves: Nigeria’s strongest tourism driver right now is not infrastructure. It is identity. People come to Nigeria for: music, food, weddings, festivals, nightlife, family, homecoming, culture, and yes the Nollywood universe they’ve been immersed in for years.
   We are one of the few countries whose creative sector is more globally visible than its tourism sector. But instead of integrating the two, they operate in silos each doing amazing work, but never multiplying impact. Nigeria cannot grow tourism without leveraging the global demand Nollywood already creates.
   Cinema as a Tourism Product: The Missing Piece
   Imagine this:

• A December tourist arrives in Lagos.
• Part of their welcome experience includes a curated Nollywood cinema night.
• The film introduces culture, humour, language, story the emotional entry point to Nigeria.
• Afterwards, they visit the neighbourhood where a famous scene was shot.
• Or they dine at a restaurant featured in a film.
• Or attend a panel discussion with actors and filmmakers.
• Or buy merchandise linked to their favourite titles.
  Cinema becomes entry. Entry becomes experience. Experience becomes attachment. Attachment becomes return visits. This is how tourism ecosystems are built.
  The Economic Case: Why Film Tourism Works
  Around the world, cinema boosts tourism. It is a proven formula.
• New Zealand became a global destination through Lord of the Rings.
• South Korea used K-dramas to fuel national visibility.
• UK still profits from Harry Potter tourism.
• India attracts millions through Bollywood filming locations.
• Japan uses anime + film synergy as national branding.
  Nigeria can do the same with far less effort, because the demand already exists. The missing link is intentionality.
  Nollywood + Tourism = A Strategic Partnership Waiting to Happen
  A tourism economy should not be built in isolation. It thrives when anchored to a country’s strongest cultural exports.
  For Nigeria, that is: Nollywood, Afro beats, Fashion, Food, Faith, Diaspora connection. Film is the most scalable of all these because people engage with it from anywhere in the world.
  Here’s how the partnership could look:
• Cinema included in official itineraries – Curated film nights for inbound travellers.
• Nollywood-themed city tours- Visit filming locations, sets, neighbourhoods.
• Cinema x Festivals x Homecoming -Detty December + film screenings + creative meetups.
• Embassy collaborations- Nollywood nights in missions abroad to convert cultural interest into travel intent.
• State tourism partnerships- Film incentives tied to tourism development zones.
• Pan-African & Caribbean creative exchange- Because Nollywood is a diplomatic tool not just entertainment.
  Nigeria has everything needed to build a film tourism economy except… coordination. And 2026 is the year that must change.
  Final Word
  As someone who has spent years connecting Nigeria to the world through tourism, diplomacy, and soft power, I have seen how storytelling opens doors that policy struggles to unlock. Film has a unique way of shaping perception.
  People visit places they feel curious about. They invest in places they emotionally connect with. They return to places that feel familiar. Nollywood already creates that emotional familiarity now it is time to activate it as a national tourism asset.
  Tourism is not just about places. Tourism is about stories. And Nollywood tells Nigeria’s story every single day globally, loudly, proudly. If we want Nigeria’s tourism industry to grow, if we want travellers to feel at home before they even land, if we want cultural power to translate into economic power, then cinema must enter the tourism equation intentionally, strategically, unapologetically.
  Because storytelling is soft power. Soft power shapes demand. And demand is the heartbeat of tourism.