Tax & Spend
Nigeria Wants to Turn Detty December Parties Into Tourism Boost
- Lagos state saw activities generate more than $71 million
- Devalued currency meant many tourists were flush with cash
Participants dance as they parade during Calabar Carnival in Nigeria in December.
Photographer: Olympia De Maismont/AFP/Getty ImagesNigeria is looking to capitalize on an end-of-year cultural event that’s become the most profitable month for tourism in its commercial hub, in a bid to grow the economy and attract foreign currency.
Revelers who visited Lagos for Detty December — a month of concerts, beach activities, fashion shows and culinary events that’s also popular in other parts of West Africa — boosted the state’s coffers by $71.6 million, Idris Aregbe, special adviser to the state’s governor on tourism, arts and culture said in a statement on Monday.