Tourism Event Centres and Socio-Economic Development in Calabar Metropolis, Cross River State, Nigeria 0 0
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60787/jete.vol9no1.78Keywords:
Tourism, Events, Development, Business, EmploymentAbstract
This paper investigated the role of tourism event centers in fostering socio-economic development in the Calabar Metropolis of Cross River State, Nigeria. The study determined the major types of tourism events staged at these centers, examined their socio-economic impacts on local dwellers, and evaluated supporting tourism services which has sprung around the facility centers. A descriptive survey research design was employed through using primary and secondary sources of data. This study targeted a study population of 2,250, while a sample size of 751 respondents was drawn and 730 out of 751 questionnaires were obtained and analyzed with descriptive statistics and Pearson’s Product Moment correlation (PPMC) using the aid of SPSS. Results indicates that the event centers staged events such as weddings (20.14%), conferences and seminars (17.26%), cultural festivals and carnivals (15.34%), exhibition and trade fairs (12.33%), music concerts (9.72%). This had created employment opportunity, enhanced business operations, patronages to catering services, hotels and transport firms, increased the level of small-scale entrepreneurial businesses, as well as enhancement of tourist inflow. Support businesses that evolved around the event centers include event planning firms, decoration businesses, photographers, caterers, security firms, entertainment services, car hire services. PPMC showed that there is a high degree positive relationship between the type of tourism events hosted and socio-economic development in the study area (r=0.784, p=0.001), but there are many constraints that has impeded the performance of these event centers to include poor infrastructural development, unstable electricity supply, security problems and high costs of operation. The study concluded that these tourism event centers serve as catalyst for employment generation, entrepreneurial growth, tourism enhancement and socio-economic development in Calabar Metropolis.
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