Evaluating tourism resource areas in Nigeria for development

Abstract

The study examines the spatial pattern of 101 destinations considered important in Nigeria by tourists, and categorised them into various grades, employing a questionnaire survey of 634 tourists randomly selected from seven centres in Nigeria. A standard stanine rating scheme was used to evaluate the value of the 101 destinations in Nigeria for attracting tourists. The study revealed eight tourism regions in Nigeria, with two regions, Lagos and Yankari/Jos/Abuja emerging as primary attractive tourism regions, and four regions, the Western, Northeastern, Edo/Delta and North Central tourism regions emerging as secondary tourism regions. Destinations considered most important were mostly short distance or nearby, and associated with both cultural and natural resources, especially wildlife/games and beaches/water areas. The study concludes with implications for destination planning, development and marketing.