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Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies & Management 11(2): 172 – 185, 2018. ISSN:1998-0507 doi: https://ejesm.org/doi/v11i2.5 Submitted: January 13, 2018 Accepted: April 5, 2018 ASSESSMENT OF ECOTOURISM OPERATIONS IN EZEAGU TOURIST COMPLEX OF ENUGU STATE, NIGERIA *IJEOMAH, H.M., 1 ABERE, S.A. 2 AND UGWU, L.O. 1 1Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, University of Port Harcourt, P.M.B. 5323 Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. 2Department of Forestry and Environment, Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, Nigeria *Corresponding author: [email protected] Abstract This study investigated the level of community participation in tourism business, assessed the impact of tourism on households in the host community and investigated the factors militating against tourism growth in Ezeagu tourist complex. Data for this study were obtained through personal observations, indepth interviews with staff of the complex and indigenes of the community who are knowledgeable about tourism, and administration of three sets of questionnaires. A set was purposively administered to 146 household representatives of the host community, to collect information on tourism activities, benefits derived from the complex and households’ awareness and participation in tourism business. The second set was administered to all the staff of the complex to collect information on frequency of visitation, categories of tourists that visit the ecodestination, the challenges to tourism growth and solutions proffered by the management to overcome them, while the third set was randomly administered to 50 tourists to get information on tourist attractions, available tourism facilities and infrastructures as well as their adequacy and maintenance, and challenges encountered in the site. Data obtained were analysed using descriptive statistics in form of frequency of counts, percentages, charts and tables. Most household respondents (84.24%) admitted that the host community participates in tourism in the destination. Respondents participate as tour guides (61.15%), in cultural activities and business (10.19%) among others. Some of the cultural activities integrated into tourism include masquerade parade (47.08%), celebration of new yam festival (46.15%) and age grade ogene dance (33.33%). Respondents’ main way of deriving benefits from Ezeagu tourist complex is in form of income generation (75.34%) through transportation business (87.67%), supply of drinks (21.23%) and rental business (5.57%). Income generation peaks between December and February (60.27%) due to festivities. Most of the business operators in Ezeagu tourist complex are indigenes of the host community, thus leakages of resources are minimized. About 20% of household respondents perceived that benefits are derived from the destination through employment. Unavailability of hotel accommodation (50%), inadequate infrastructures and facilities (40%) and government neglect (30%) were identified by staff respondents as the major challenges of tourism in Ezeagu tourist complex. Most tourist respondents (92.00%) considered the infrastructure in the destination inadequate. Provision of standard infrastructure and adequate publicity will bring about tourism boom in the destination, add more values to resources in the site and generate more benefits to households in the host community. Key Words: Ecotourism, Rural development, Impact, Cultural preservation, Ezeagu tourist complex This work is licensed to the publisher under the Creative Commons Attributions License 4.0 172 Assessment of Ecotourism Operation in Ezeagu Tourism Complex ................ IJEOMAH et al. Introduction business management strategies and Tourism is a business entity that stakeholders’ level of participation provides places and events to keep people (Ijeomah and Herbert, 2012). Good psychologically relaxed (Agba et al., understanding of tourism business 2010). Tourism, a concept that is as old operation and management will guide the as man (Blangy and Wood, 1993), has managers on the kind of activities to become a lucrative socio-economic and create that will satisfy customers, cultural phenomenon in the 21 st century increase the rate of tourists’ visitation and because of the publicized vast benefits it generate more benefits to households of provides, when properly planned and destination host communities both at the managed (Ashley, 2000; Ashley et al., formal and informal sector. 2000; Ayodele, 2002;Ijeomah, 2007) This implies that there is an urgent particularly in the face of high global need, therefore, to assess the challenges rate of poverty. Ecotourism, an aspect of of each tourism site, and the effects of environmental tourism refers to an existing destinations on host environmentally responsible travel and communities. The objectives of this study visitation to relatively undisturbed natural therefore are to: areas in order to enjoy and appreciate • investigate the level of community nature (Ceballos - Lascurain, 1996). participation in tourism business Ecotourism creates a large and wide • assess the impact of tourism on market in rural areas; which brings about households in the host communities wealth transfers across the globe. This is • investigate the factors militating done through creation of awareness about against tourism growth in Ezeagu rural products, addition of value to local tourist complex products and attraction of people from different areas to destination host Methodology communities. Ecotourism opens up rural Study Area areas and enhances economic growth Ezeagu tourist complex is located through foreign exchange earnings and between 7º0'0'' and 7º22'0'E' and 6º20'30'' revenue generation for many countries and 6º31'30''N of Greenwich (Figure 1). and states. It improves people’s Ezeagu tourist complex is located in the wellbeing through job creation, revenue western part of Obinofia Ndi-Uno or income distribution and balanced community of Ezeagu Local Government regional development. Area in Enugu State (Ezeh, 2006; Enugu Benefits derived from tourism depend State tourism Guide, 2016). on investment, understanding of tourism 173 Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies and Management Vol. 11 no.2 2018 Figure 1: Map of Ezeagu Local Government Area showing location of Ezeagu tourist complex Source: Ijeomah et al ., 2018 Data Collection The second set was administered to Data for this study were collected all staff and management of the tourist through oral interviews, administration of complex to collect information on questionnaire and field observations. categories of tourists that visit the Three sets of questionnaires were ecodestination, challenges to tourism administered for data collection (Table growth, and solutions proffered by the 1). The first set was administered to management to overcome them. representatives of household members of The third set was administered to the host community, Obinofia. It was obtain information on attractions to used to collect information on tourism Ezeagu tourist complex, tourists’ purpose activities, benefits derived from the of visit, tourism activities, tourism tourist complex by households, and facilities, problems encountered by the respondents’ awareness and participation tourists and tourists’ experiences. in tourism business in Ezeagu tourist complex. 174 Assessment of Ecotourism Operation in Ezeagu Tourism Complex ................ IJEOMAH et al. Table 1: Proportional allocation of questionnaires to respondents Set of questionnaire Number Number retrieved Total used administered First set for households Ihueze village 30 30 - Umueze village 30 26 - Umuonaga village 30 30 - Okposi village 30 30 - Awana village 30 30 146 Second set for staff of the complex 15 10 10 Third set for tourists 50 50 50 Personal interviews were conducted Where, r = number of rows with selected staff members who have c = number of columns worked with the tourist complex for a minimum period of five years and are Result therefore quite knowledgeable about the Community Participation in Tourism management of the tourist complex and Results on community participation also with traditional chiefs who have in tourism are presented in Tables 2, 3 lived up to a minimum of twenty years in and 4. Table 2 shows that many the community to obtain information household respondents (61.15%) mainly on the history of the eco- participate in tourism in the complex as destination and culture of the host tour guides. According to Table 3, the community. major cultural activities integrated into Method of Data Analysis tourism in the complex are masquerade Data obtained from the study were parade (47.08%), new yam festival analyzed using descriptive statistics in (46.15%) and age grade ogene dance form of frequencies, percentages, pie (33.33%). As suggested by staff chart, bar chart and tables, while chi- respondents in Table 4, the major way square was used to test for associations. household participation in tourism could Chi-square ( χ2) = be increased is through government The degrees of freedom (df) = (r – 1) (c – support and provision of adequate fund 1) for development of facilities. Table 2: Assessment of community and household participation in tourism in Ezeagu tourist complex as indicated by household respondents Parameter Variable Frequency Percentage (%) If household members in anyway Yes 123 84.24 are participating in tourism? No 23 15.76 If yes, how? Tour guide 96 61.15 Cultural activities 24 15.29 Commercial activities 16 10.19 Recreational activities 9 5.73 Sanitation