CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Every country, Nigeria inclusive, has its sources of
revenue generation and socio-economic development. The sources may include, but
not limited to agriculture, oil and gas (petroleum), trade and investment
(import and export business), education, health, tourism and hospitality, etc.
Before and after the Nigerian political independence, agriculture was the major
source of the country’s revenue generation, socio-economic growth and
development, followed by other sectors. With the discovery of oil and its revenue
potentials from 1958 to immediately after the Nigerian Civil War (1967 – 1970),
the petroleum sector took over all other sources of the country’s revenue,
gross national product (GNP) or National Income. It was unfortunate that the
tourism sector was neglected or not realized or given adequate attention it
deserved or ought to deserve not realizing that tourism centers are God’s
creation; particularly those that were not man-made like long terrain of
beautiful plateau ground, wonderful spring, a terrific fall, wonderful outcrop
of rocks, etc (Etek, Eze and Esu 2012).
Tourism,
according to Nwidum (2007), is expected to foster economic growth through foreign exchange earnings
and increase in state revenue and, at a second level, on improvement in the people’s
well-being in the areas of job creation, revenue/income distribution and
balanced regional development. It is unfortunate that tourism development in
the states of Nigeria has been threatened by such factors like financial
problems, infrastructural constraints like poor road network, electricity,
drinkable water, health facilities and lack of awareness among Nigerians on the
benefits of tourism to the expected tourists and other Nigerians.
Tourism is the business activity
connected with providing accommodation, services and entertainment for the
people who are visiting a place for pleasure (The Oxford Advance Learners Dictionary), and It is the free movement of people
for destinations outside their normal abode on a temporary short-term visit as
well as the services created to satisfy the need arising from these movements,
within and across international boundaries.
It could be for advance health
reasons, leisure, business, religion, education or other purposes not mentioned
(Anijah-Obi 2001). It is the practice of traveling for pleasure
and the business of providing for tours (i.e. to make journey in, where one or
more places are visited usually without hitch or recreation for specific
purposes as in the situation of business and recreation) and services to
tourists (The American
Heritage Dictionary of English Language). It is also an amalgam of leisure
and recreation services and activities provided within an environment for
visitor’s satisfaction and enjoyment, hence a deliberate act of traveling out of
one’s home to another destination, together with the preparations that go into
the act, for a specified period and for one or more purposes (Ebin 1999). It is also the activities of persons traveling to
and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one
consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes (Cooper et al, 1999).
The Jos Plateau is a plateau located near the centre
of Nigeria. It covers 8600 km² and is bounded by 300-600 meter escarpments
around much of its circumference. With an average altitude of 1280 metres it is
the largest area over 1000 metres in Nigeria, with a high point of 1829 metres
in the Shere Hills. The plateau has given its name to the State, Plateau State
in which it is found and is itself named for the state's capital, Jos.
After
the British colonization of Nigeria, Jos Plateau became a mining region and one
of the most important tourist destinations in Nigeria, but touristic activity
was impeded in early 21st century by a new conflict between Christians and
Muslims as a result of tribal and political differences between the inhabitants
of the Jos Plateau.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Tourism has created opportunities for
job or employment opportunities in Nigeria. This is because all these tourist
sectors are handled by human beings – both skilled/specialists and unskilled
labor in Nigeria and Nigerian citizens. That tourism creates jobs directly or
indirectly through linkages is not a Nigerian case as it has been observed also
that in Rwanda, employment opportunities are offered through national parks;
guides, trackers, and antipoaching agents. Tourism is one of the major sources
of increase in the state’s GDP and economic growth, GDP being the total final
output of goods and services produced by the state’s economy, within the
state’s territory, by residents and nonresidents, regardless of its allocation
between domestic and foreign claims, and economic growth being the steady
process by which the productive capacity of the economy is increased over time
to bring about rising levels of national output and income. However, the
researcher is examining tourism in Plateux State as a vital tool for enhancing
the revenue base of the state.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The
following are the objectives of this study:
1. To
provide an overview on tourism development.
2. To
examine tourism development as a vital tool for enhancing the revenue base of a
state.
3. To
identify the factors affecting tourism development in Plateau State.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. What
is tourism development?
2. Is
tourism development a vital tool for enhancing the revenue base of a state?
3. What
are the factors affecting tourism development in Plateau State?
1.5 HYPOTHESIS
HO:
There is no significant relationship between tourism development and the
revenue base of a state
HA:
There is significant relationship between tourism development and the revenue
base of a state
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The
following are the significance of this study:
1. The
outcome of this study will educate on how tourism development can contribute to
revenue generation in a state with particular focus on plateau State.
2. This
research will be a contribution to the body of literature in the area of the
effect of personality trait on student’s academic performance, thereby
constituting the empirical literature for future research in the subject area.
1.7 SCOPE/LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
This
study will cover tourism development and its contribution to revenue generation
in Plateau State of Nigeria.
LIMITATION OF STUDY
Financial constraint- Insufficient fund
tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant
materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection
(internet, questionnaire and interview).
Time constraint- The researcher will
simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently
will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.