The National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) has called on Nigerian filmmakers to incorporate more of the country’s natural landscapes, waterfalls, mountains and cultural attractions into their productions to promote tourism and strengthen Nigeria’s international image.
The Executive Director of the NFVCB, Dr. Shaibu Husseini, said Nigerian films remain one of the most influential channels through which international audiences encounter the country’s fashion, languages, traditions, hospitality and cultural identity.
Husseini made the call at the Association of Nigerian Journalists and Writers of Tourism (ANJET) conference held at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, with the theme, “Nigerian Tourism Industry and Current Administration Reforms.”
He explained that Nollywood’s global reach provides an opportunity to showcase destinations that remain largely unknown to both domestic and international travellers.
According to him, Nigerian films have already influenced how foreign audiences perceive the country’s clothing, titles, languages and cultural practices, demonstrating the potential of the industry to promote tourism beyond entertainment.
“Our films market our fashion. When you go abroad now, they ask you about what you are wearing because they see it in our films. They call us Chief, Igwe, Odogwu and all that because they see it in our films. They market our landscapes, our languages and our hospitality,” he said.
The NFVCB boss noted that the same influence could be extended to Nigeria’s natural attractions by encouraging filmmakers to use scenic locations as settings for their stories rather than relying predominantly on studios and familiar urban environments.
He cited his discovery of a waterfall in Enugu through an American visitor as an example of how international exposure could draw attention to destinations that Nigerians themselves may not know sufficiently well.
“It took an American for me to know that there is a waterfall in Enugu. I mean, an American who came on a visit to know that there are spots where you can go and all that. And these places can become locations in our films,” Husseini said.
He argued that featuring such destinations in films could stimulate viewers’ interest in visiting them, creating opportunities for local communities, hospitality businesses, tour operators and other players in the tourism value chain.
Husseini cited South Africa as an example of a country whose landscapes and tourism attractions have influenced his travel interests through media exposure.
He maintained that Nigeria possesses comparable natural assets, including the hills and mountains of Taraba State and several green landscapes across the country, which could be better promoted through film and other creative productions.
“When people see those locations, they’ll be able to say, ‘Oh, I want to come and visit.’ My trips to South Africa have been because of media, because of their films,” he said.
The NFVCB executive director stressed that tourism, culture and filmmaking are closely connected, adding that stronger collaboration among the sectors could help Nigeria translate its creative output into increased destination visibility and tourism activity.
He also commended the Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), Dr. Ola Awakan, for efforts to strengthen the relationship between tourism and other sectors capable of driving destination promotion.
Husseini urged ANJET members to sustain their role in holding stakeholders accountable, highlighting Nigeria’s untapped tourism potential and promoting developmental journalism that encourages practical solutions to challenges facing the industry.
He said tourism journalists have an important responsibility to identify destinations, interrogate government policies, monitor implementation and communicate opportunities that could attract investment and visitors.
Digital reforms to open Nigeria’s film industry to global collaboration
Beyond promoting tourism through film locations, Husseini said the NFVCB was pursuing a digital transformation strategy aimed at making its regulatory processes more accessible to filmmakers and other industry participants.
He explained that moving censorship and classification procedures online would reduce bureaucratic delays and make it easier for local and international content creators to navigate the board’s regulatory requirements.
The reforms are intended to improve operational efficiency, simplify access to regulatory services and encourage international filmmakers to collaborate with Nigerian production companies and creative professionals.
Husseini said the board wanted international filmmakers to find it easier to work with local industry participants, potentially creating opportunities for co-productions, skills transfer, investment and wider distribution of Nigerian content.
He, however, emphasised that digital access alone would not be sufficient to drive film-induced tourism, noting that effective promotion must be supported by physical infrastructure and accessible destinations.
The availability of reliable transport, accommodation, visitor facilities and other essential services remains important if audiences inspired by films are to convert their interest into actual visits.
He also pointed to the relevance of the NFVCB’s automated classification system alongside broader immigration reforms, including discussions around automated visa-on-arrival processes, as part of efforts to improve the experience of international visitors and content creators.
The alignment of digital regulatory services with more efficient travel procedures, he suggested, could help create a more enabling environment for international film production and tourism development.
Nollywood’s potential to drive destination marketing
Nigeria’s film industry offers a potentially powerful platform for destination marketing because its productions reach audiences across Africa and in international markets through cinemas, television and digital streaming services.
When locations are integrated naturally into compelling stories, films can expose audiences to destinations, local traditions, food, architecture and cultural experiences that conventional advertising may struggle to communicate as effectively.
However, translating screen exposure into sustainable tourism requires coordinated efforts among filmmakers, tourism authorities, state governments, local communities and private-sector operators.
Destination promotion must also be supported by investment in infrastructure, visitor safety, environmental protection and the preservation of cultural heritage.
For Nigeria, a stronger relationship between Nollywood and the tourism industry could help diversify the country’s tourism offering, encourage domestic travel and create new economic opportunities around film production.
Husseini’s call places renewed emphasis on using the creative economy not only to tell Nigerian stories but also to showcase the country’s landscapes and encourage audiences to experience its destinations firsthand.
The challenge for stakeholders will be to move from recognising the connection between film and tourism to establishing practical partnerships that consistently bring Nigeria’s natural and cultural attractions to the screen.
