ABSTRACT
The research assessed resident‟s perception of tourism activities in southern Kaduna. Krejcie and Morgan sample size table was used to determine the population size of the study population. Analysis was carried out utilizing the SPSS version 17 which summarizes the respondent‟s demographic characteristics as well as the items adapted to measure the perception of tourism activities. The relationship between the socio-demographic characteristics of the residents and the perception on economic, socio-cultural and environmental impact of tourism activities in the region was checked using a table. It was found out in general that the residents perceived tourism impact positively especially the socio-cultural and the environmental impact of tourism activities in the region. Based on the findings, the concluding part discusses the study's implications and suggests the need for a restructured tourism programs to effect the tourism activities situation of Southern Kaduna.
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Tourism has received considerable attention over the last decades due to the fact that it is one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the world, (Cordero, 2008). It is becoming an important component of economic development programs around the world and the driving force behind these phenomena can be attributed to the fact that the tourism business has fueled the economic growth of both the community and the nation (Perdue, 1990), and has additionally played a vital role in social, cultural, and environmental impacts on people, destinations and countries. These consequences also are due to the fact that better long term strategic planning for tourism activities must be conducted with a clearer understanding of how community residents perceive and react to the complex phenomena of tourism. It is important to note that residents in many areas are encountering Tourism‟s impacts and its benefits while others are experiencing impact without benefits (Smith, 1998 in Besculides, 2002).
To gain support on tourism projects and initiatives, many planners now strive to understand how the public perceives tourism activities in the area. Given the fact that tourism can flourish in an area only with the support of the host residents, it is felt that the perceptions of residents towards tourism activities and its impacts serve as crucially important inputs in identifying the strategic and managerial priorities of tourism development. In examining the activities of tourism on local residents, previous research tends to focus on a number of areas including economic, social, cultural and environmental factors where both positive and negative perceived impacts are assessed.
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