Understanding the Behaviour of High-Net-Worth Domestic Tourists in Nigeria: A Netnographic and Survey-Based Investigation

This study investigates the motivations, preferences, behaviours, and satisfaction determinants of high-net-worth domestic tourists in Nigeria, addressing a significant gap in literature that has predominantly studied Nigerian tourism from the perspective of international arrivals or budget domestic travel. Nigeria's growing high-net-worth individual population, estimated conservatively at over 35,000 individuals with assets exceeding one million US dollars, constitutes an underexplored and high-value domestic tourism market segment whose preferences, if understood, could substantially inform luxury hospitality and tourism product development within the country. A two-phase research design is adopted. Phase one employs netnography to systematically analyse the online tourism content, reviews, and social media outputs of high-net-worth domestic travellers across platforms including Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), TripAdvisor, and luxury travel blogs over a 24-month period, generating inductively derived insights into travel values and preference patterns. Phase two administers structured questionnaires to 180 high-net-worth respondents accessed through luxury brand events and private banking partnership channels in Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt. Findings reveal a strong preference for international-standard facilities within authentic Nigerian cultural and natural settings, high sensitivity to privacy and exclusivity, strong food experience motivations, and significant dissatisfaction with domestic airline service reliability as a barrier to intra-Nigeria travel. The study contributes a High-Net-Worth Nigerian Domestic Tourist Profile and recommends luxury product development directions for hospitality operators and tourism boards. Keywords: high-net-worth tourists, domestic tourism, netnography, luxury hospitality, Nigeria