Nigeria is seeking to capitalize off an end-of-year extravaganza known as ‘Detty December’ that’s become the most profitable month for its commercial capital’s tourism sector in a bid to grow the economy and attract foreign currency.
Revelers that visited Lagos for Detty December, a month filled with concerts, beach activities, bar and restaurant visits, 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 Lagos state governor on tourism, arts and culture said in a statement on Monday.
Detty December festivities also attracted more than 1.2 million visitors to Lagos, with 90% of the 550,000 inbound air passengers coming from the Nigerian diaspora, according to the report produced by consulting firm MO Africa for Lagos state.
Many were enticed by the attractive line up of events and last year’s 41% depreciation in the naira against the dollar that meant their foreign currency went a lot further than previously.
Nigeria’s Afrobeats stars such as Grammy award-winning duo Burna Boy and Wizkid, and singer Arya Star, performed at different sold-out venues.
The country is now focusing on a one-stop shop for Detty December’s “disaggregated” activities, said Obi Asika, head of Nigeria’s national council for arts and culture.
“Lagos was bursting at the seams, but we’re beginning to see other places,” which are holding similar activities such as the capital Abuja and southern Edo state, emerge, he said, and plan to introduce new platforms that will “impact the entire ecosystem.”
The promise of December profits has even prompted some members of the diaspora to return home and set up businesses. Zusi Inegbiniki, a London resident who recently launched a luxury property business called Palms Court in Nigeria, said ‘Detty December’ was a key motivating factor.
“I was like, ‘entertainers are looking for a place to stay for a day on their tours, content creators are looking for a room to take pictures in and I knew that I would grow incredibly in Detty December,’” she said. Her short-term rental properties in both Lagos and Abuja experienced a 100% occupancy rate during December, a 30% increase from the month before.
To lure more of Nigeria’s vast diaspora community, Detty December, coined by musician Mr Eazi in 2016 as a social media hashtag for a concert, could become part of the national identity, Asika said. “We want to take the passion of Detty December and make it almost like a national calling card,” he said.
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