Ecotourism and Community Development at Ikogosi Warm Spring, Ikogosi-Ekiti, Nigeria

Abstrak

Abstract

Ikogosi Warm Spring is one of the projects embarked upon and being promoted as a regional development strategy by the government of Ekiti State. This study sought to assess the current status of ecotourism development and evaluate the existing tourism-site/resource-community relationships, impacts and the capacity of ecotourism to generate benefits for Ikogosi Warm Spring and the local communities. Questionnaire, interview schedules, observations and secondary data sources were the   instruments for this study and basic quantitative analysis was used to interpret the data obtained from ecotourism site officials, local residents, business owners and tourists. The results show that ecotourism development was at an early stage in the destination such that the socio-economic benefits accruing to the local communities have not been substantial. The residents have had to cope with reduced access to resources since the Ikogosi Warm Spring Site was established but they generally supported conservation and were optimistic that ecotourism growth would yield huge benefits. There was low influx of tourists who paid small amounts of money as gate fees and access to the amenities.  Despite these, ecotourism contributes extremely towards revenue generation, natural resources conservation and management.