The Lagos State Government has identified local councils as critical drivers of its ambition to transform the state into a year-round tourism destination, urging them to uncover, develop and promote attractions within their communities.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Idris Aregbe, made the call on Wednesday at a stakeholders’ meeting with representatives of local councils and grassroots communities in Lagos.
The meeting, tagged “Experience The Best of Lagos,” was held in the Victoria Island area of the state.
Aregbe said the success of Lagos’ tourism strategy would depend significantly on the ability of councils to identify attractions within their jurisdictions and work with the state government to package them into compelling experiences for local and international visitors.
“My mandate is to ensure that tourism is boosted in Lagos to become the best. We need to continue to create a better environment in the tourism, art, and culture sector,” he said.
Addressing the council representatives, Aregbe declared: “You are the keys to the door of tourism in your councils,” urging them to take greater ownership of tourism assets at the grassroots.
He noted that Lagos’ 20 local governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) provided an extensive platform for expanding tourism beyond the state’s traditional destinations.
According to him, attractions that residents may regard as ordinary could become major tourist destinations if properly identified, packaged and promoted.
He explained that familiarity often prevented residents from recognising the tourism value of places around them, while international visitors could view the same locations as distinctive and memorable experiences.
Aregbe therefore urged council authorities to take ownership of tourism facilities in their areas and collaborate with the state government to attract visitors to destinations across Lagos.
He said the state was prepared to work with the councils to establish Lagos as a preferred tourism destination throughout the year, rather than one driven largely by the December festive season.
The Special Adviser disclosed that the state was already witnessing signs of a shift, with visitors increasingly making hotel bookings months ahead of the ember period.
He added that some visitors arriving during the festive season were now extending their stays by several weeks rather than returning immediately after the holidays.
Aregbe said the state must build on the trend by making the 2026 ember season a turning point for Lagos’ tourism industry.
“We need to make the 2026 ember season the beginning of a massive turnaround in the country, particularly Lagos tourism,” he said.
He stressed that the ultimate goal should be to create memorable experiences that would encourage visitors to extend their stays and return to Lagos for future holidays.
Aregbe also called on tourism operators to continually develop fresh experiences, arguing that visitors would be more inclined to return when destinations consistently offered something new.
He further urged stakeholders to adopt a broader understanding of tourism, noting that the sector extended beyond entertainment to include commerce, arts, food and other economic activities.
He said Lagos’ tourism strategy should ensure that visitors could enjoy quality experiences regardless of their budgets.
The Deputy High Commissioner of Canada, Carlos Rojas-Arbulú, endorsed the grassroots approach, calling for a more structured system for identifying, packaging and marketing Lagos’ tourism assets to international audiences.
Drawing from his two years of experience in Lagos and Nigeria, the envoy described his experience as “transformational,” saying he and his family had discovered an extraordinary city and country.
He observed that residents often overlooked the tourism potential of places they encountered daily, while foreigners could find those same experiences fascinating and worth exploring.
According to him, Lagos must identify such assets and transform them into tourism experiences that international visitors could understand, access and pay for.
Rojas-Arbulú identified value, structure and narrative as three critical elements for strengthening Lagos’ appeal to international tourists.
“It’s understanding that you hold value; you have to find a way to package it in a way that speaks to that international visitor,” he said.
He called for improved organisation of tourism attractions, transportation networks and service providers to make it easier for international visitors to navigate Lagos and experience its destinations.
The envoy said tourists were willing to pay for well-organised experiences where there was sufficient coordination and structure behind the service.
He also urged Lagos to take greater control of its international narrative by deliberately promoting the city and Nigeria’s positive attributes.
Rojas-Arbulú noted that international audiences were frequently exposed to negative reports about Nigeria, which could create perceptions that failed to capture the country’s creativity, opportunities and cultural richness.
He encouraged stakeholders to highlight Lagos’ entrepreneurship, Afrobeats, food, fashion, tourism attractions and creative industries as part of a narrative capable of creating an emotional connection with international visitors.
“But if we speak about the amazing entrepreneurship of this country and the city, we speak about Afrobeats, about the food, about the fashion, about the things that can connect you emotionally to an experience, then we’re telling a different narrative,” he said.
Describing Lagos as “a whole world to be discovered,” the envoy said the state possessed enormous talent and experiences capable of attracting significantly more international visitors.
Both Aregbe and Rojas-Arbulú also highlighted the creative industry, particularly film and digital content, as powerful tools for promoting Lagos as a global tourism destination.
Aregbe said film had historically influenced how international audiences perceived destinations, pointing to the role American movies played in projecting the United States globally.
He said Lagos could adopt a similar strategy by using film and digital platforms to showcase its attractions, culture, transformation and opportunities.
According to him, some audiences still viewed Lagos through an outdated lens despite the significant changes the state had undergone.
“Lagos has a lot to show now,” he said, expressing the government’s readiness to collaborate with filmmakers, content creators and other stakeholders committed to promoting tourism.
Aregbe also expressed interest in leveraging YouTube and other digital platforms alongside conventional tourism campaigns to tell the stories of Lagos communities to wider audiences.
Rojas-Arbulú similarly emphasised the power of storytelling, saying films could introduce international audiences to Lagos’ beauty, creativity and diversity.
He expressed willingness to support initiatives aimed at promoting a more positive image of Nigeria among Canadians while strengthening links between Lagos and Toronto’s tourism and creative ecosystems.
Such collaboration, he said, could generate opportunities for increased tourism, investment and broader engagement between the two cities.
