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
