Perception and Awareness of Secondary Schools Students towards Ecotourism in Ibadan Metropolis, Oyo State, Nigeria (Published)
This paper investigates perception and awareness of secondary schools’ students towards ecotourism in Ibadan Metropolis, Oyo state, Nigeria. Stratified random and purposive sampling techniques were employed for the study. A total of two hundred and forty students (240) were selected from 12 schools (six public and six private) for the study. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings from this study showed that 55.8% of the students were female, 80.4% and 15.0% were within the age range of 11-15 years and 0-10years respectively, 60.0% were Christian, and 39.2% were Islam. The findings also revealed how students felt about ecotourism. 88.8% of students believed that ecotourism is important, 92.5% agreed that it need to be taught in schools, and 89.6% felt that ecotourism destinations should have support by the government. Furthermore, the results showed the students’ level of awareness regarding ecotourism: 50.8% of them did not know about it, 68.3% were taught about it in school, 89.2% reported that their school did not have an ecotourism social club, 50.8% was aware about ecotourism sites, and 56.7% had visited them. The mean weight score and perception score of students for ecotourism awareness and perception were all positive. There is no significant relationship between ecotourism awareness of the students and their perception about ecotourism. Also, the correlation between awareness and perception is 0.101, which is positive but not statistically significant (p-value = 0.118). This suggests that there is a weak positive relationship between ecotourism awareness and perception, but this relationship is not strong enough to conclude that there is a significant relationship. The study recommends that ecotourism education should be integrated into the school curriculum to increase the awareness and knowledge of students about ecotourism and the government should support ecotourism sites by providing necessary infrastructure and policies that promote conservation of natural resources.
Keywords: Ecotourism, Secondary School, Students, awareness, ecotourism initiatives
Socio-demographic Profiles of Customers’ Food Preferences at Ecotourism Destinations in South Western, Nigeria (Published)
The travel and tourism industry in the twentieth century has changed its eating patterns and meal preferences. Food to an extent is a reflection of social status and individual identification, hence, an explicit way of understanding customer’s food consumption behaviour is to study their food preference. The provision of meals is one of the key determinants of meeting customers’ expectations and satisfaction at destinations, hence, this study assessed the Socio-demographic profiles of customers’ food preferences at ecotourism destinations in South Western, Nigeria. An exploratory research approach was conducted through the use of structured questionnaires for data gathering. The data were collected from a purposely selected population comprising both customers and staff of Ikogosi Warm Spring and Olumo Rock Resorts. The data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The Chi-Square results on meal preferences concerning age shows a significant influence of age on soup and starchy morsel, Assorted rice dishes, Yam and potato dishes, Beans and Beans products and Non-Alcoholic beverages, a significant association and influence was shown among genders for beans and beans products, customers income and education has no influence on their preference for alcoholic beverages and a significant relationship between food choices of customers and marital status was noticeable. The research findings reveal that customers’ food preferences are shaped by Socio-demographic influences. This study concluded that the dimensions of customers’ food preferences are majorly tilted towards Socio-demographic variables of age, gender, marital status, income and educational qualifications. It is recommended that customers’ Socio-demographic characteristics should be a key indicator in food and beverage planning, preparation and marketing at ecotourism destinations.
Keywords: Customers, Ecotourism, Food, Preference, socio-demographic, south western
An Assessment of Socio-cultural Heritage Complementing Sustainable Ecotourism in Selected Coastal Communities of Lagos State (Published)
Tourist locations are valued tourism assets that motivate travellers and distinguish destinations from others; one of the pull factors responsible for this movement is the desire to explore the socio-cultural identities and cultural heritage of the identified communities, which can sustain ecotourism development in the coastal communities. The tourist activities, therefore, are expected to have a significant impact on the host community. This research, therefore, aimed at assessing the socio-cultural heritage complementing ecotourism in the selected coastal areas. Lagos State is divided into five divisions, and the divisions are further divided into 20 local government areas (LGAs), of which three of these LGAs are selected as coastal areas for this study, which are Badagry, Lekki and Epe. The selected host community serves as the sample population for this research, personal interview and questionnaire were used to elicit information from the respondents during peak periods of tourism activities, specifically during December 2020 festive period. Due to the depth to which the study intends to analyse the data, 500 questionnaires were administered to the study area, but 455 were retrieved and considered valid for the research. The questionnaires were distributed using purposive sampling. Descriptive statistics were carried out using weighted mean and thematic analysis, while chi-square test was employed for the inferential statistics. The study concludes that socio-cultural heritage complementing tourism in coastal areas is a source of funding to preserve and conserve cultural heritage, thereby giving back cultural price, revitalize customs and tradition as well as open door for cultural sharing and learning.
Keywords: Ecotourism, Tourism Development, coastal areas, coastal tourism, socio-economic activities
Contribution of Ecotourism to the Conservation of Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda (Published)
This study focused on the contribution of ecotourism to the conservation of Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda (NNP). It critically examines the integration of local communities in conservation of Nyungwe National Park and the contribution of the ecotourism’s revenue sharing to community development. We present empirical data from interviews, a predesigned questionnaire, Range Based Monitoring (RBM) data and data from tourism unit in Nyungwe National Park. Results showed that community conservation efforts have been put in place to reduce threats in the park, but still, there are cases of poaching, tree cutting and mining, cited among many other illegal activities. The number of tourists increased considerably in recent years, suggesting in revenue sharing. However, community based initiatives are still at low levels and the expected objective to alleviate poverty is not yet fully achieved. Research concluded that there is a need to improve the revenue sharing program so that it will contribute to the community development and motivate people to effectively participate in the conservation of Nyungwe National Park.
Keywords: Community Conservation, Community-Based Tourism, Conservation Tourism, Ecotourism, Nyungwe National Park, Revenue Sharing
Eco-Tourism Potential in Protected Areas and Its Sustainable Development Challenges (Published)
The object of research is Eco-Tourism in protectad areas and its Sustainable Development Challenges. It should be noted that national parks and protected areas have huge potential for ecotourism development. Its goal is to conserve ecosystems and create environmental awareness between people. Sustainable tourism means the duty of the society to provide the protection and maintenance of the environment for the future generations.We should realize what does ecologically sustainable environment means for the development of tourism and what part in this case plays eco-tourism as one of the main part of the development of the sustainable tourism. So, as to provide sustainable economy for tourism, tourist sustainability is needed. During the sustainable development of tourism the resources should be used so as to satisfy economic, social and esthetic needs, but at the same time maintain the originality of the country. The main biological variety of the environment and the main tourist systems, the stable development of tourism should provide social, cultural, ecological and economical criteria of harmonic mixture, which will give us not only maintenance of natural and cultural resources, but will become the predominance of their development and renovation.
Keywords: Ecological sustainability, Economical sustainability, Ecotourism, Recreational resources, Sustainable tourism