Infrastructure Capitals and Community Transformation in Tourism Destinations, Southwest Nigeria (Published)
The study analysed the influence of tourism infrastructure on community transformation in Southwest Nigeria. One most prominent tourism destination was purposively selected from each state of six; Oyo – Agodi Gardens, Ogun – Olumo Rock, Osun – Osun Osogbo Groove, Ondo – Idanre Hills, Ekiti – Ikogosi Warm Springs, and Lagos – National Theatre. Simple random sampling technique was employed to select thirty residents from each destination, giving a total of one hundred and eighty respondents. The results revealed social factors had Cronbach’s Alpha values of social (0.799) with variance 10.310%; political factors (.811) with variance 9.237%; natural factors (0.781) with variance 9.103%; economic factors (.614) with variance 10.117%; physical factors (.749) with variance 10.312%; human factors (.721) with variance 10.003%; and cultural factor (.611) with variance explained as 9.041%. The results further revealed that social capital (B = 0.164; p<0.05); physical (B = 0.174; p<0.05); human (B = 0.184; p>0.05); and natural capital (B = 0.159; p<0.05) showed significance with community transformation. While, economic capital (B = 0.113; p>0.05); political factors (B = 0.181; p>0.05); and cultural factor (B = 0.130; p>0.05) showed no significant prediction but all had t values greater 1. Infrastructure capitals (social, physical, and natural) were found to have significant relationship with community transformation. It is recommended that infrastructure capital should be set up as a ‘service industry’ to providing goods that meet customers’ demands in order to forestall irregularities and delay in supply for rapid and optimal sustainable transformation.
Keywords: Community, Tourism Destination, Tourism Development, community transformation, infrastructure capital