Influence of Ecotourism Potentials and Community Development in Enugu State, Nigeria

Abstract

At the international Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), ecotourism has incorporated environmental responsible travel to natural areas in order to enjoy and appreciate nature and accompanying cultural feature both past and present that promote conservation. The purpose of this study therefore was to investigate the influence of ecotourism potentials on community development in Enugu State. To achieve the purpose two null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Review of literature was done accordingly. Survey research design was adopted for the study. Purposive sampling technique was adopted in the selection of respondents from each local government area. The questionnaire was the main instrument used for data collection. To test the hypotheses and to ascertain whether to reject or retain them, simple regression analysis was adopted and tested at .05 level of significance. The results of the analysis revealed that ecotourism potentials and tourism impact has a significant influence on the community development. Based on the findings it was recommended that counsellors in collaboration with government and ecotourism officers should intensify awareness to community members and tourists on the need to adequately organized and manage tourism activities in a way that may ensure tourism development and sustainability in the private sector, non-governmental organization and host community for effective development in the areas.