The Relevance of Tourism on the Economic Development of Cross River State, Nigeria
Journal of Geography and Regional Planning Vol. x(x), pp. xxx-xxx, xxxxxxx 2011
Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/JGRP
DOIXXXXXXXXXXX
ISSN 2070-1845 ©2011 Academic Journals
Full Length Research Paper
The relevance of tourism on the economic development of Cross River State, Nigeria
Ajake, Anim O. and Amalu, Titus E.*
Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria.
Accepted 21 December, 2011
This study investigated the relevance of tourism on the economic growth of Cross River State, Nigeria. Special focus was on the difference in visitations over the years under investigation to the various tourists attractions within the state. Information for the study was basically from the questionnaire survey and participatory research method. The generated data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mean, simple percentages and graphic illustrations. The study demonstrated that there was a steady increase in the number of tourists visit to the various attraction sites in the area and that the greatest increase was observed in the number of tourists visiting for the purpose of cultural festivals. The result show that tourism influenced employment status, including enhancement of the people’s income in the state. Based on the aforementioned findings, it is recommended that all stakeholders in the tourism industry should be involved in the planning and execution of tourism projects and that tourism activities be organized all through the year to ensure more tourists visitation and avoid seasonality in the tourism industry.
Key words: Tourism, influence, cultural enhancement, economic growth, cultural diversity.
INTRODUCTION
The substantial growth of the tourism activity clearly marks tourism as one of the most remarkable economic and social phenomena of the past century. The number of international arrivals shows an evolution from a mere 25 million international arrivals in 1950 to an
Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/JGRP
DOIXXXXXXXXXXX
ISSN 2070-1845 ©2011 Academic Journals
Full Length Research Paper
The relevance of tourism on the economic development of Cross River State, Nigeria
Ajake, Anim O. and Amalu, Titus E.*
Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria.
Accepted 21 December, 2011
This study investigated the relevance of tourism on the economic growth of Cross River State, Nigeria. Special focus was on the difference in visitations over the years under investigation to the various tourists attractions within the state. Information for the study was basically from the questionnaire survey and participatory research method. The generated data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mean, simple percentages and graphic illustrations. The study demonstrated that there was a steady increase in the number of tourists visit to the various attraction sites in the area and that the greatest increase was observed in the number of tourists visiting for the purpose of cultural festivals. The result show that tourism influenced employment status, including enhancement of the people’s income in the state. Based on the aforementioned findings, it is recommended that all stakeholders in the tourism industry should be involved in the planning and execution of tourism projects and that tourism activities be organized all through the year to ensure more tourists visitation and avoid seasonality in the tourism industry.
Key words: Tourism, influence, cultural enhancement, economic growth, cultural diversity.
INTRODUCTION
The substantial growth of the tourism activity clearly marks tourism as one of the most remarkable economic and social phenomena of the past century. The number of international arrivals shows an evolution from a mere 25 million international arrivals in 1950 to an