Showcasing Ekiti as Rising Tourism Destination

Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji’s infrastructure and institutional reforms have repositioned Ekiti as Nigeria’s emerging tourism powerhouse, writes Gbenga Sodeinde

In three years, Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji has moved tourism in Ekiti State from the corner of official rhetoric to the centre of practical governance. His administration has not treated tourism as mere dancing, sightseeing, festivals and slogans. It has treated tourism as an economy, a policy field, a value chain, an investment window, a branding platform and a tool for community development.

What has happened in Ekiti under Oyebanji is the result of deliberate leadership, policy clarity, infrastructure support, institutional strengthening, destination promotion, private-sector confidence and a rare understanding that tourism cannot grow by noise alone. It grows by roads, airports, hospitality standards, investor assurance, community participation, cultural pride, public safety, destination opening, legal framework and consistent marketing.

One of the most strategic and courageous steps taken by Oyebanji was the sequestering of tourism from the Ministry of Arts and Culture and the creation of a dedicated Ekiti State Bureau of Tourism Development under his direct supervision. He appointed a director general to oversee it. This was a deliberate governance reform which freed tourism from the usual bureaucratic congestion and gave it the executive attention required to function as an economic driver.

By creating the Bureau and placing it under his direct watch, the governor sent a clear message that tourism in Ekiti would no longer be treated as an appendage, a ceremonial department or a cultural afterthought. It would be treated as a serious development sector deserving speed, visibility, professional leadership and direct access to decision-making.

This single administrative decision became the foundation upon which many of the state’s tourism achievements were built. It gave Ekiti tourism speed. It gave it identity. It gave it a voice. It gave it access. It gave it direction. It created the institutional platform through which the Tourism Policy, Tourism Development Master Plan, destination opening, World Tourism Day celebrations, awards, branding, site promotion, stakeholder engagement and national visibility were made possible.

This is why, within the period under review, Ekiti has become one of the most discussed sub-national tourism models in Nigeria. The state has won repeated recognition as a highly active tourism destination, while Oyebanji himself has been honoured by respected travel, culture and tourism platforms, including the Travellers Award, Goge Africa Award and the South Africa tourism award. Ekiti also emerged as Most Active Tourism State in 2023, 2024 and 2025, a rare consistency which confirms that the state’s tourism rise is not a flash in the pan, but the product of sustained policy, visibility and action.

The significance of these awards is not in the plaques alone. Awards are only meaningful when they reflect evidence. In Ekiti’s case, the evidence is visible: the completion and commencement of commercial flight operations at the Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport; the completion and inauguration of the Ado-Ekiti Ultra-Modern Bus Terminal; the activation of Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort through private-sector concession; the hosting of World Tourism Day; the development of the Ekiti State Tourism Policy; the approval of the Ekiti State Tourism Development Master Plan 2025–2035; the opening up of tourism sites; the branding of Ekiti as a serious destination; and the creation of a tourism atmosphere across the state.

One of the boldest achievements of the Oyebanji administration is the production of two major foundational documents: the Ekiti State Tourism Policy and the Ekiti State Tourism Development Master Plan 2025–2035. These two instruments changed the conversation from ad hoc tourism promotion to structured tourism governance. 

The policy provides the philosophical, regulatory and institutional direction, while the master plan provides the long-term execution roadmap.

This is a major stride because tourism without policy is excitement without architecture. For years, many states promoted attractions without a compass. Ekiti, under Oyebanji, has moved beyond “come and see” to “come, invest, stay, experience, return and participate.”

The Tourism Policy and Master Plan now create a structure for investment mobilisation, product development, destination management, cultural preservation, host-community participation, environmental sustainability, hospitality regulation, human-capacity development and visitor-experience improvement. In simple terms, the policy is the compass, while the master plan is the route map. One tells Ekiti where to go; the other shows how to get there.

The administration also completed and operationalised strategic infrastructure that directly strengthens the tourism movement. Tourism begins with access. No destination can become competitive if visitors cannot reach it conveniently. The completion of the Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport and its opening to commercial operations marked a turning point in the state’s connectivity. This is not just an aviation achievement. It is a tourism achievement.

The airport shortens travel time, improves investor confidence, supports conference tourism, encourages diaspora visits, strengthens medical tourism, assists agro-tourism and opens Ekiti to regional and international travel conversations. A destination with an airport has entered a different league of accessibility. It is easier for investors, tourists, consultants, conference participants, medical visitors, cultural promoters and diaspora citizens to engage with a state that is reachable by air.

The Ado-Ekiti Ultra-Modern Bus Terminal is another important tourism-support infrastructure. Initiated under the previous administration and completed under Oyebanji, the terminal has improved transport orderliness, enhanced visitor reception, reduced chaotic mobility and given the capital city a more organised gateway feel. Airports serve one class of movement; bus terminals serve another. Together, they create access. And access is the first invitation tourism extends to a visitor.

Another major stride is the execution and consolidation of the Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort concession. Ikogosi is not just a tourism site; it is Ekiti’s flagship attraction and one of Nigeria’s most iconic natural wonders. The concession to Glocient Hospitality placed the resort on a private-sector-driven path of renewal, improved management and stronger destination competitiveness. Oyebanji’s role has been to sustain the enabling environment that allows such private-sector participation to thrive.

That is why the Ikogosi story is important. It shows that tourism development is not always about the government directly running hotels and resorts. Sometimes, the best role of government is to create the right climate, protect the asset, provide policy support, guarantee confidence and allow professional operators to deliver value. Ikogosi today stands as a symbol of what can happen when government vision meets private-sector competence.

Beyond Ikogosi, the administration has opened up, promoted and repositioned many tourism assets across the state. These include Arinta Waterfall in Ipole-Iloro, Abanijorin Rock of Wonders in Iyin-Ekiti, Ugele Rock Shelter and Cave in Ikere-Ekiti, Oke Sagbonke in Efon-Alaaye, Oke Ewo War Memorial Site in Ilupeju-Ekiti, the Osun River source in Igede-Ekiti, Opeoloriyeye palm in Ilogbo-Ekiti and other natural, cultural and historical sites. This is a departure from the old approach of limiting Ekiti tourism to one or two familiar attractions. Under Oyebanji, Ekiti is being presented as a basket of experiences.

One of the remarkable achievements of Oyebanji is the first-class visibility he has given Ekiti tourism at the national level. Under his administration, the Visit Ekiti brand moved beyond local promotion into the consciousness of top national leadership. A striking example was when the Vice President Kashim Shettima wore the iconic Visit Ekiti cap. That singular act was more than a social media post; it was a powerful endorsement of Ekiti’s destination branding and clear evidence that the state’s tourism identity had broken into national visibility.

Equally significant is the awakening of host communities to the economic value of their natural assets. A good example is Efon-Alaaye, where the people formally wrote to the governor to appreciate him for opening their eyes to the tourism economy of Oke Sagbonke, popularly known as the Mountain of Clouds. This is one of the strongest proofs that the governor’s tourism vision is not abstract. It is touching communities, changing perceptions and making people realise that the hills, mountains, rivers, caves, groves and cultural sites around them are not ordinary objects of nature, but potential engines of prosperity.

This community response is crucial because tourism succeeds best when host communities see themselves as stakeholders, not spectators. By drawing attention to Oke Sagbonke and other hidden treasures across Ekiti, the Oyebanji administration has not only promoted tourism; it has awakened local economic consciousness. It has shown communities that tourism can create jobs, attract visitors, stimulate small businesses, inspire hospitality growth, strengthen cultural pride, and place their towns on the map of opportunity.

The hosting of World Tourism Day in heritage communities further confirms this community-centred approach. Ekiti did not merely host World Tourism Day as a ceremonial event. The state used it as a tool of destination discovery, community mobilisation and heritage promotion. When World Tourism Day was hosted at Oke Ewo War Memorial Site in Ilupeju-Ekiti, it spotlighted history, memory and community heritage. When attention shifted to Igede-Ekiti and the source of the Osun River, it connected Ekiti directly to one of the deepest spiritual and cultural narratives in Yoruba civilisation.

This is significant. A serious tourism government does not only celebrate tourism in hotel halls. It takes tourism back to the communities, to the groves, to the rocks, to the rivers, to the mountains, to the custodians and to the people who own the stories. Oyebanji’s model has helped return tourism to its natural owners: the communities.

The state has also created what may be described as a tourism atmosphere. This is not a physical building, but it is powerful. A tourism atmosphere exists when government officials, traditional rulers, communities, investors, hospitality operators, culture promoters, journalists, tour guides, transport operators and young people begin to see tourism as a shared opportunity. Ekiti has achieved this through constant destination promotion, participation in national and international tourism markets, policy engagement, media visibility, and the strengthening of the Bureau of Tourism Development as a functional driver of the sector.

The Oyebanji administration has also strengthened the link between tourism and other sectors. The airport supports tourism. The bus terminal supports tourism. Roads support tourism. Hospitality regulation supports tourism. Medical facilities support medical tourism. Agriculture supports agro-tourism. Education supports educational tourism. Culture supports heritage tourism. Sports and conferences support event tourism. This is where the administration’s approach shows maturity: it understands that tourism is not one ministry’s business. It is an economic network.

Ekiti’s positioning in medical tourism was evident when it sold to the world the Afe Babalola Multi-family System Hospital Ado Ekiti at  the 2025 Akwaaba Travel Market held in Lagos, educational tourism, religious tourism, cultural tourism, nature tourism, adventure tourism and heritage tourism shows a state that is no longer waiting to be discovered. It is deliberately presenting itself. This is how modern destinations grow: by identifying niches and building messages around them.

Oyebanji’s greatest tourism stride is his ability to move Ekiti tourism from scattered attractions to structured destination governance.

Before now, Ekiti had sites. Today, Ekiti is building a tourism system. Before now, Ekiti had heritage. Today, Ekiti is creating heritage products. Before now, Ekiti had rocks, rivers, hills and waterfalls. Today, Ekiti is opening them up, branding them, connecting them, protecting them and inviting the world to experience them. Before now, Ekiti had potential. Today, Ekiti has policy, infrastructure, recognition, private-sector participation and a ten-year road map.

The next phase  is to consolidate these gains and implement the Tourism Development Master Plan. The state is moving faster on access roads to key sites, signage, digital destination mapping, visitor centres, tour-guide certification, community tourism cooperatives, annual festival calendars, investment prospectuses, destination safety protocols, hospitality grading, souvenir markets, restrooms at sites, conservation enforcement and private-sector tourism clusters.  These are the natural next steps for a state that has already laid the foundation.