VISUAL ARTS AS RECUPERATIVE CHANNEL FOR TOURISM AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Every society aims for development in every aspect for its betterment. Today, tourism through arts and culture has been a major source of income for many nations. In 2019, arts and culture industry alone generated over 10 billion pounds and created over 300,000 jobs in the United Kingdom (see https://www.artscouncil.org.uk) whereas Nigeria relies solely on oil as major source of revenue, neglecting the other viable areas like arts and culture. This paper examines visual arts as a recuperative channel for tourism and international relations with emphasis on the Nigerian state. Two research questions guided the study, (1.) what is the state of tourism in Nigeria? (2.) In what ways can visual arts recuperate tourism cum international relations in Nigeria?  The study looked at the significance of international relations with tourism. Some theories of visual art and international relations were compared and analyzed. Data were sourced from primary and secondary sources like informal interviews, journals, newspapers, books and online sources. Findings show that international relations have been part of man from the early centuries with visual art as its main channel. And also, visual arts have been neglected in Nigeria and this is responsible for the poor state of the tourism sector in Nigeria. Recommendations were made which include that the government must support the revival of the arts and culture to strengthen the tourism industry in Nigeria.