Rural Tourism as a Tool for Rural Development: A Study of Kainji Lake National Park, Niger State, Nigeria

Résumé

Rural tourism entails the services and amenities provided by rural people to attract tourists as a means of
employment generation, poverty eradication, and platform for socio-economic development of rural people.
This study examined rural tourism as a tool for rural development, focusing on Kainji Lake National Park
(KLNP), Niger State, Nigeria. The questionnaire was administered on 103 tourists that visited KLNP over a
three-week period and the data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results
show that most of the tourists (32.09%) heard about KLNP from the internet, 41.75% arrived by bus and
21.35% visited the tourist destination for the purpose of conference attendance while relaxation (27.18%) was
the motivation for choosing KNLP. Safety and security considerations (54.37%) were paramount to the
majority of the tourists while 36.89% were pleased to visit the tourist destination. Most of the respondents
(50.49%) agreed that KNLP has ensured the availability of uninterrupted electricity supply, agricultural
development and revitalization of the irrigation network in the area. Majority of respondents (70.88%) agreed
that the presence of KNLP in the area brought about greater access to social amenities. However, 52.42%
disagreed that KNLP generated additional employment opportunities in the private sector through the
promotion of investment, improved marketable vocational skills with widespread use of information technology
in the area. It is clear that rural tourism as a form of tourism is a key tool for developing rural areas and people
in Nigeria because it enhances the development of social amenities for the people in the rural area among
others. This study, therefore, recommends that rural tourism should be embraced by state governments as a
tool for rural developments.