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We need a partnership to raise the standard of vocational education in Nigeria. Vocational education is important because it covers all aspect of hospitality management. The university graduates that studied catering or hotel management have limited knowledge of the practical aspects which vocational education provides (A hotel owner in Nigeria).
The hospitality business in Nigeria: an overview
The Nigerian hospitality industry is regulated by the multi-sectorial Industry of Tourism (UNWTO, 2006). The hospitality business is peculiar among a sub-sector of hospitality, catering and tourism that includes fast food outlets, clubs, snack bars, guest houses, banquet halls and event tents, among others (ILO, 2010). In this paper, our reference to hospitality industry will include restaurants and hotels.
Globally, tourism and hospitality and their subsidiaries are acknowledged as one of the world's fastest growing economic industries, generating about US$1.3 trillion alone in 2012, largely from international travel (Babalola and Oluwatoyin, 2014; Baker et al. , 2000). The income generated from hospitality and tourism is a significant boost to the economy of some nations, the Caribbean, Hong Kong, South Africa and Kenya, for example (Esu, 2015; Sanni, 2009). Globally, the tourism and hospitality industry accounts for 33.3 per cent of the total global services trade; between 1985 and 2010, for 25 years in real terms, the operations of the industry have increased one percentage point faster than the global gross domestic product (GDP) (ILO, 2010). In Nigeria, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has asserted the positive contributions of the hospitality and tourism industry to the GDP of the country. Based on history, the contribution - using the 2015 Naira to Dollar conversion rate - was over US$3 million in 1980, over US$2 million dollars in 1990, about US$3 million dollars in 2000, over US$9 million dollars in 2004 and about US$12 million dollars in 2006 (CBN, 2003, 2006). Others have suggested that the net impact of tourism (import and export revenues) to the Nigerian economy is estimated at US$56 million (UNWTO, 2006). Indeed, the progress of the hospitality and tourism industry has been associated with the progress of any economy (Sanni, 2009). Also, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation stated that "between 70 and 75 per cent of international tourists expenditure goes to hospitality services on...