Assessment Of Contributions Of Tourism To Community Development In Cross River State
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Assessment Of Contributions Of Tourism To Community Development In Cross River State
ABSTRACT
The primary goal of this study was to evaluate the contributions of tourism to community development in Cross River State. Four research questions and three null hypotheses were posed and developed to lead the investigation. The hypotheses were evaluated at the 0.05 level of significance.
The relevant literature to the study was reviewed under four major headings: conceptual framework, theoretical framework, review of related empirical studies, and summary of literature review. This study utilised a descriptive survey research approach. The study’s sample included 101 community leaders and 256 tourist professionals, for a total of 357 respondents.
The study’s data was collected using a 41-item questionnaire modelled after a four-point rating scale. Three professionals validated the instrument. The instrument was trial tested, and the reliability coefficients using Cronbach’s Alpha were.762 for cluster A,.635 for cluster B,.875 for cluster C, and.677 for cluster D, with an overall reliability coefficient of.827.
The research questions were analysed using mean and standard deviation; the null hypotheses were assessed at the 0.05 level of significance using a t-test; and the Focused Group Discussion was analysed qualitatively.
The study’s findings demonstrated that tourism has a significant impact on Cross River State’s economic development, social development, cultural development, and environmental sustainability.
The ramifications of the foregoing findings were investigated, and it was advised, among other things, that the government promote sustainable tourism development to guarantee that local communities benefit from tourism resources under their jurisdiction.
Chapter One: Introduction.
Background to the Study
Tourism is one of the world’s most important and lucrative industry for generating revenue. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) (2008), tourism is a social, cultural, and economic phenomena that involves people travelling to nations or places other than their regular environment for personal or business reasons.
It has the potential to accelerate human progress in all areas. As a result, most governments at all levels can produce significant capital for societal development through tourism. Tourism is a social phenomena that involves travelling temporarily away from one’s home.
Furthermore, the authors said that it includes the actions of a person or persons travelling to and staying in a place(s) beyond their customary home country or environment for no more than a year for enjoyment, business, or other purposes other than being employed in the destination.
1 It is also considered a recreational activity that requires at least one night away from home to pursue a recreational interest. This person could be a foreigner or a native of that country. A foreign tourist is defined by the World Tourism Organisation (2011) as someone who spends at least 24 hours in a nation other than his own.
To support the above assertion, Akam and Bassey (2014) stated that tourism is influenced by tourism potentials, which are extraordinary natural, cultural, artistic, and other resources in a specific place, places, or country that serve as tourist sites or attractions and are interesting and appealing to human beings’ visual and auditory organs.
Akam and Bassey (2014) emphasised that tourism is based on the beauty of nature and man-made tourism potentials, which are limitless, as it is instinctive for humans to appreciate nature, such as landscapes, lakes, mountains or hills, rivers, rocks, waterfalls, caves, monoliths, wildlife, and so on.
Man-made tourist potential comprises exceptional art works, architectural works, museum materials, and archaeological and cultural sites (Akam and Bassey, 2014). Thus, natural landscape, pleasant weather and climate, and cultural legacy are employed to promote tourism and have an impact on tourism staff.
According to Agcas (2013), a tourist manager is someone who develops and promotes tourism in order to attract visitors and provide considerable economic benefits for a certain region or site.
Furthermore, Africa is endowed with numerous natural and man-made tourism potentials, as highlighted by Udeh (2014), including the Pyramids and Sphinx in Egypt, Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, Cape Town in South Africa, Virunga Mountains (Tracking Gorillas) in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, and the Omo River Region in Ethiopia.
Nigeria has numerous tourism potentials, ranging from abundant natural to manmade tourist attractions such as Yankari Game Reserve in Bauchi State, Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort, the National War Museum in Abia State, Ogbunike Cave in Anambra State, Oguta Lake in Imo State, and Zuma Rock in Abuja, to name a few (Udeh 2014). (See Appendix F, Page 143).
In fact, Cross River State has been christened as Africa’s tourism destination due to the abundance of tourism potential such as Obudu Cattle Ranch, Old Residency Museum Calabar, Agbokim Waterfalls, Etanpim Cave, Mary Slessor’s Tomb Calabar, Cross River National Park, Akamkpa, Kwa Falls, Obubra Lake, Obubra and the Calabar Cenotaph, Ikom monoliths, Biajua Lake, Cross River National Park, Okwawor Division, Drill Ranch, Canopy Walk Way, Afi Wildlife Sanctuary, Mbe Mountai (See Appendix G, Page 144).
Tourism has been identified as a very successful tool for community development due to its multiple benefits, including cash production from tourism activities, which may be effectively used for meaningful community development initiatives.
It has been recognised globally as a weapon for rural liberation and poverty eradication. According to Omeje (2006), this position was strengthened by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a World Bank arm that identified the World Tourism Organisation as an invaluable tool for poverty alleviation in rural-urban migration, as well as the provision of social infrastructure facilities in rural areas and the creation of wealth, among other benefits.
Furthermore, Omeje stated that the Gross Domestic Product-GDP from tourism has been argued to be higher than that of the petroleum sector because it accounts for approximately 11% of global GDP and 10% of global employment, with 212 million people worldwide and a total turnover volume of approximately US$3.4 billion, representing 5.5% of global GNP.
Nations welcomed around 154 million tourist arrivals, accounting for approximately 25% of global travel flow and roughly 24%, or US$109 billion, of total hard currency income. According to Tunde (2012), tourism is one of the world’s most rapidly rising economic activity.
Tourism has been revived as a potential weapon for accelerating economic development while also benefitting the environment and local social conditions without harming the environment.
It is an activity that promotes a greater understanding of places, people, and cultures. The author went on to say that, despite the appeal of Cross River State’s tourism locations, their potentials have not been harmonised, and no substantial attention has been paid to them in order to use and maximise these potentials.
Furthermore, there are many undermining factors such as insecurity, poor communication network, lack of power supply, lack of borehole, lack of skill acquisition centres, high rate of unemployment, lack of industries
lack of adult literacy centres, deplorable road network, communal clashes, lack of political will of our political leaders, and lack of other social/basic amenities appear to have contributed to a large extent to why there is low patronage of tourism sites for
A community is a group of people who share a shared geographical location, cultural attributes, and traditional affinity. It is typically a village or village group. (Ogunna,2007). A community is made up of people who share common interests and work together to achieve those goals.
In the context of this study, a community is defined as a collection of individuals who share a common identity and strive to work together under the guidance of community leaders.
According to Phil (2007), a community leader is someone who oversees a community’s affairs, guides, and mobilises its members in order to achieve a common goal and promote their collective development.
As a result, the World Bank (2006) maintains that progress entails ongoing change in a wide range of characteristics of human civilisation. It is a process that expands alternatives, which includes new options, diversification, thinking about obvious situations differently, and anticipating change.
Development entails change and the betterment of people’s living conditions, including involvement, flexibility, equity, attitudes, functional institutions, and quality of life. Furthermore, the World Bank argues that development can be achieved through the efforts of people who engage in activities that promote their development.
This implies that, in order to be sustainable, economic growth must be constantly nourished by the fruits of human development, such as improvements in workers’ knowledge and skills, as well as opportunities for their efficient application: more and better jobs, better conditions for new businesses to grow, and greater democracy at all levels of decision making.
Justifying the above assertion, Akam and Bassey (2014) stated that development is an aspect of progression, increase, improvement, and advancement in every sector of a country or in an individual’s life for a better society and to improve people’s living conditions, which can lead to community development.
According to Afuye (2005), community development is a structured intervention that gives communities more control over the conditions that affect their lives; thus, community development refers to a process in which a community engages in order to improve the community’s social, economic, and environmental situation.
Community development combines the concepts of “community” and “development” in order to positively impact the lives of people in a specific community through job creation, infrastructure development, empowerment, health, arts, education, cultural, religious, technological, political, social, and economic growth.
According to Eze-Uzomaka (2006), community development is an important component of overall human development initiatives at the regional or national level.
Community development comprises enhancing education and employment, healthcare delivery, agriculture, social infrastructure, and environmental circumstances, among others.
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