Tourism Waec Syllabus

Below is this 2026 Waec Syllabus for Tourism. Note that this syllabus is for both internal and external candidates.

Aims and Objectives

  • explain the concepts associated with tourism activities such as tourism, tourist, tourist attraction, tour operation, excursion, travel agency etc
  • acquire knowledge of tourist attraction centers and their locations
  • understand the financial, social, and developmental benefits of tourism to a nation
  • explain the tourism and cultural festivals of a nation
  • acquire the basic knowledge of the operations of a travel agency and tour businesses
  • understand the roles and functions of public and private agencies in tourism
  • develop skills in tourism entrepreneurship

Scheme of Examination

The subject will be examined as a composite paper made up of two papers-papers 1 & 2, to be answered in 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Paper 1:

Paper 1 will comprise 40 multiple-choice questions drawn to cover the entire syllabus.

Candidates will be required to answer all the questions in 40 minutes for 40 marks.

Paper 2:

Paper 2 will consist of two Sections, A and B.

Section A:

Section A will consist of ten restricted-response essay questions, all of which must be answered for  40 marks. Candidates are advised not to spend more than 50 minutes on this section.

Section B:

Section B will consist of 5 essay-type questions, of which candidates will be expected to answer any three questions only for 60 marks in one hour.

FIELDWORK

The students should be exposed to fieldwork through excursions to tourism industry sites such as airports, seaports, beaches, landforms, game reserves, national parks, museums, hotels, tour agencies, etc., on which they should be examined as part of their continuous assessment in schools.

The scores for the fieldwork should account for 40 percent of the total continuous assessment scores of the students that will be forwarded to the examining body.

Detailed Tourism Syllabus

CONCEPTS AND TOURISM RESOURCES

Concepts
  • Definition of tourism, tourist, visitor, tour, operation, excursion, recreation, leisure, hospitality, travel etc
Scope of tourism
History of tourism
Types of tourism
  • domestic
  • international
Forms of tourism
  • Incoming/inbound
  • out-coming /outbound
  • international
  • domestic
  • long haul
  • short haul
  • business
  • eco-environmental
  • cultural
  • religious/mistrial
  • sport
  • youth
Components
  • attraction
  • accessibility
  • amenities
Tourist Products
  • Definition of the tourist product
  • Characteristics of tourist products (heterogeneous, intangible, immovable)
Tourist attractions and their locations
  • natural (national parks, scenic features, beaches, coasts, landforms, etc)
  • man-made monuments, museums, palaces, etc.
  • social-cultural (historic monuments, festivals, carnivals, sports, etc)
Tourism statistics
  • Meaning of tourism statistics
  • inflow(arrival)
  • outflow(departure)
  • expenditure pattern
  • data collection
Benefits of tourism
  • Economic benefits:
    • financial
    • taxes
    • levies
    • the balance of payments
    • foreign exchange earnings etc.
  • Social benefits:
    • cultural understanding
    • job creation
    • International co-operation
  • Developmental benefits
    • infrastructure
      • road
      • light
      • water
      • communication
    • superstructure
      • buildings
      • flyovers
    • rural development
      • preserves nature
      • use of land
Festivals in Nigeria
  • Argungu International Fishing Festival
  • Oshogbo International Festival
  • New Yam festival
  • Shao mass wedding
  • Sharo festival
  • Fare Wrestling Festival etc
Heritages in a nation
  • Sakur world heritage site
  • Museums and monument
  • Art galleries
  • Museums
  • Palaces
  • Gidan Makama
  • Shrines

BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS IN TOURISM

Reasons for travel
  • Why people travel
    • Physiological factors
      • visit friends and relations
      • holidays
      • health
    • Economic factors
      • business shopping
      • conference meetings
      • trade fair exhibition
    • Social factors
      • religion
      • sports
      • beautiful natural sceneries
      • fashion fare
      • education
      • self-esteem

 

Travel agency business

Meaning of travel agency/agent

  • The roles and functions of a travel agent
    • reservation
    • ticketing
    • visa procurement
    • foreign exchange procurement, etc.
  • Qualities of a travel agent
    • resourcefulness
    • marketing skills
    • honesty /integrity
    • good communication skills
    • timeliness
    • vision
    • managerial ability
    • good understanding of ICT
    • creativity etc

Definition/meaning of tour operator

  • Roles of a tour operator
    • packaging
    • marketing
    • executing
  • Qualities of a tour operator
    • honesty
    • good public relations
    • good marketing skills
    • good financial standing
    • good knowledge of the environment
    • innovativeness
    • good understanding of ICT etc
Support services
  • Support groups in the travel business
    • financial support: insurance, banking, bureau de change
    • transport facilities/car hire services
    • souvenir shops, e.g., local crafts etc.
    • accommodation hotel and catering services
    • health services e.g., first aid, clinics, hospitals etc.
    • security services
Public agencies in tourism

Identification and Roles of public agencies in Tourism

  • Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation
  • State Tourism Boards
  • Local Government Tourism Committees
  • Parastatals
    • Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation(NTDC)- policy implementation
    • National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) Manpower development
    • National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) Preservation of heritages

 

Private agencies in tourism

Identification and Roles of private tourism agencies in Nigeria

  • Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria (FTAN) – umbrella body for all private tourism agencies in Nigeria
  • National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) – regulates travel agencies
  • Association of Nigerian Journalists and Writers on Tourism (ANTWT) – writes on tourism issues in national dailies and tourism magazines
  • National Association of Tour Operators (NATOP) – regulates tour-operating businesses
  • Nigerian Hotels Association (NHA)
  • Hospitality and Tourism Management Association of Nigeria (HATMAN)- an umbrella body for all hospitality and tourism practitioners
Tourism marketing

Meaning of tourism marketing

  • Tourism marketing strategies:
    • segmentation
    • mass marketing
    • niche marketing(new emerging markets)
  • Marketing tools in tourism
    • electronic media
      • television
      • radio
    • print media
      • newspapers
      • magazines
      • journals
      • publications
    • fairs and exhibitions
      • local fairs
      • International fairs
    • e-tourism
      • Internet services
      • e-banking
      • e-reservation
      • electronic billboard
Entrepreneurship in tourism
  • Meaning of entrepreneurship
  • Meaning of cottage industries
  • Examples of cottage industries:
  • Leather works, ceramics and pottery, bread making, tie and dye, hair weaving, painting, cloth weaving, raffia weaving etc
  • Items produced in cottage industries:
    • shoes, bags, wallets, belts etc.
    • water pots, cooking pots, wall tiles, floor tiles etc.
    • beads, ornaments, earrings etc.
    • clothes, adire, kampalla etc.
    • Jamaica beads, Ghana beads, chuku etc.
    • Akwa-ocha, aso ofi, aso oke, akwete etc.
    • Cane chairs, broom, raffia beds etc.
Service delivery in tourism
  • Meaning of service delivery
  • Service delivery in tourism:
    • tour guards, ticket retailers, cooks, waiters, photographers, cultural dancers, drivers, game guards, reservation officers etc.
Skill acquisition
  • Definition of skills
  • Skill acquisition centers in a nation:
    • Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN)
    • National Directorate of Employment (NDE)
    • National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR)
    • National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO)
    • Ushafa Pottery Centre etc.

SUGGESTED READING LIST

Brian Boniface and Christopher Cooper (2001). The Geography of Travel and Tourism, 3rd Edition, Published by Butterworth-Henneiman. London
Clins Cooper, John Fletcher, Alam Fyall, David Gilbert and Stephen Wallhill (2009). Tourism Principle and Practice, 2nd Edition, Published by Pehentice Hall. London.
Jeanne Semer Purzycki (2000). Travel Vision: A Practical Guide for the Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Published by Prechentice Hall.
John Hibbs (2000). An Introduction to Transport Studies, 3rd Edition, Published by Kogan Yak.

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