Role of Handicraft in Tourism Promotion and Economic Empowerment in Nigeria

The paper examined the role of traditional handicraft in tourism promotion and economic empowerment in Nigeria. The paper highlighted concept of handicraft and craftsmanship. The types of Nigerian traditional handicrafts; the cultural significance of arts and handicrafts were highlighted. The potentials of traditional handicrafts in tourism development and economic empowerment such as job creation, revenue generation; and increase in foreign exchange earnings to the country were established based on the revenue literature. Challenges in the development of arts and craft industries in Nigeria and strategies to overcome them were examined. The reviewed literature established that handicrafts are essential parts of tourists’ experience in a destination. It was revealed that traditional handicrafts play significant roles in preserving the cultural heritage of a region as it symbolizes cultural identity. The reviewed literature indicated that traditional handicrafts attracts tourists to a destination as they are interested in purchasing crafts with symbolic meanings, as souvenirs to take to their homeland as memory of the place visited. Handicrafts also has the potential for job creation by providing source of income to those who engage in producing them, and also increase the foreign exchange earnings of the country as the foreign tourist purchase them. However, in Nigeria the performance of the arts and handicraft sector is far below its potentials due to the various challenges faced by the sector which among others include: lack of funding and non-financial support if form of policies by the government and its agencies to favor the growth of the sector; lack of collaboration between the handicraft producers and stakeholders in the tourism sector on product design to meet the market demands (needs of the tourists, poor marketing strategies which result in low patronage of arts and craft products; and scarcity strategies to overcome the challenges were also suggested which among others includes: Government granting both financial and non-financial support in form of funding and policies to favor the development of the arts and handicraft sector; collaboration and synergy between the art/craft sector and tourism sector for mutual benefits and promote cultural tourism, development of art/craft centres where artisans of the same trade can network and improve the quality of their products and also form co-operative society to make it easier to approach government for financial and non-financial help; and also develop marketing strategies for quick and profitable sales of their products both locally and globally.