The Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law (NBA-SBL) is set to place Nigeria’s tourism, travel and hospitality sector under a legal and commercial microscope as lawyers converge on Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital for the 2026 Tourism Retreat and Roundtable.

The four-day event will focus on the legal, regulatory and financial architecture required to transform Nigeria’s tourism potential into sustainable investment.

With the theme, “Unlocking Investment in Nigeria’s Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Sector: The Role of Data and Innovative Financing,” the retreat is being organised by the NBA-SBL Travel, Tourism and Hospitality (TTH) Committee between October 1 and 4, 2026, at Ceedapeg Hotels, Uyo.

At the heart of the programme is a recognition that Nigeria’s tourism challenge is not simply the absence of attractive destinations, but the absence, in many instances, of the legal certainty, reliable data, financing structures, infrastructure and regulatory frameworks required to make those destinations commercially investable.

Chairman of the NBA-SBL, Baba Alokolaro, said the involvement of commercial lawyers in tourism was rooted in the sector’s growing economic significance and the need to diversify Nigeria’s economy beyond its traditional dependence on oil and gas.

He described tourism as one of the country’s potential “new oil”, while stressing the need to look beyond Lagos and other established commercial centres to discover and develop investment opportunities across the country.

According to him, the objective of the retreat is not merely to showcase tourist destinations, but to examine the policies, laws and institutional structures required to create a functional tourism ecosystem and define the role lawyers can play within it.

“We want to drive policy, review regulation and chart a path for the tourism ecosystem, and more so how lawyers work in that system,” he said.

The legal dimension of the discussion assumes particular importance in Akwa Ibom, where the state has recently reviewed its tourism laws.

The legislation is expected to provide a practical case study for participants examining how sub-national legal frameworks can either facilitate or impede investment in tourism.

Alokolaro said similar legislative and regulatory initiatives in other states seeking to develop tourism as a source of revenue would also benefit from closer examination.

He acknowledged government support for the sector but said more needed to be done to translate policy initiatives and recommendations into implementation.

“We don’t execute, we advise,” he said, describing implementation of recommendations as a “work in progress.”

For the TTH Committee Chair, Kemi Afesojaye, the legal profession has a critical role in moving the tourism conversation away from the attractions themselves to the structures that make investment possible.

“Realising Nigeria’s tourism potential goes beyond just beautiful destinations. We need data, we need financing, capital, structure,” she said.

Afesojaye said lawyers could provide the technical expertise required to develop the contractual, regulatory and transactional framework for tourism investments.

“We need people to do the boring work. As lawyers, we are happy to give ourselves up to do that boring work, the heavy lifting,” she said.

The retreat is therefore expected to examine issues around deal structuring, financing, infrastructure, regulatory compliance, data and legislative reform, as well as the legal risks associated with investing in Nigeria’s tourism and hospitality ecosystem.

The programme will also feature the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, as keynote speaker.

She is expected to participate in a fireside chat with delegates on the government’s policy direction for the sector.

Chair of the Planning Committee, Dr Rita George-Okoh, said moving the programme outside the South-West presented logistics and security concerns but that the response from prospective participants had been encouraging.

She said registration had attracted interest beyond NBA-SBL members, suggesting that the issues surrounding tourism investment extend beyond the legal profession.

The programme will include a facility tour, a courtesy visit to the paramount ruler of Uyo, a cultural night and other activities intended to expose delegates to the tourism potential of the state.

George-Okoh said security arrangements had also been made for participants, including the provision of escorts.

Vice Chairman of the Planning Committee and Head of Programmes, Kayode-Nissi Joshua, said the substantive discussions would cover data, innovative financing, infrastructure, deal structuring, as well as the legal and regulatory framework governing tourism investment.

The programme is expected to bring together legal practitioners and professionals from the hospitality, aviation and entertainment sectors, creating an interdisciplinary platform for examining the commercial opportunities and regulatory challenges confronting the industry.

Delivering the vote of thanks, the 2nd Vice Chair of the TTH Committee, Osaruyi Ayela-Uwangue, said the ultimate objective of the committee was economic development and contribution to Nigeria’s GDP.

Also present at the pre-conference briefing were NBA-SBL Vice Chairman Ayoyinka Olajide-Awosedo; TTH Secretary Pamilerin Akabunwa; Planning Committee Treasurer, Nathalia Odidika-Esezobor; and committee members Folake Sadiq, Femi Fajolu and Koko Akpabio.