The Director-General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), Aare Dr. Abisoye Fagade, has met with Mr. Yang Jianxing, the Cultural Counsellor, Embassy of China in Nigeria, and Director of the China Cultural Center in Nigeria, to advance ongoing collaboration in hospitality, travel and tourism.

Dr. Fagade reaffirmed NIHOTOUR’s interest in learning from China’s global success in promoting its cuisine and culture, deepening technology-driven innovation and expanding training exchanges and investment opportunities that will further strengthen Nigeria’s tourism and hospitality ecosystem.

The Director General also highlighted NIHOTOUR’s priority on capacity-building in tourism regulation, hospitality standards and gastronomy. He noted that China’s experience in culinary diplomacy, creative-industry promotion and its strong outbound tourism system offers valuable lessons as Nigeria works to enhance its own destination visibility and cultural ofterings.

In his remarks, Mr. Yang Jianxing reiterated China’s commitment to supporting NIHOTOUR. He referenced the Embassy’s facilitation of culinary and cultural linkages such as connecting NIHOTOUR with Chinese restaurants and proposed that the 2026 NIHOTOUR Gastronomy Festival be co-hosted by NIHOTOUR and the Chinese Embassy, alongside cultural-exchange programmes that highlight food, art and heritage from both countries.

Both sides agreed to broaden training opportunities in 2026, including a specialised programme in China for NIHOTOUR staff to study the country’s tourism development model and hospitality success stories.
They also noted the significance of recent partnerships such as the 2025 China-Nigeria Culture and Tourism Festival as evidence of deepening cooperation and reaffirmed their commitment to advancing hospitality, travel and tourism collaboration.