Assessment of Tourism Opportunities in Bauchi State, Nigeria

Abstract

Tourism resources that abound in a destination area are essential in attracting both tourists and investors alike, hence, the need to harness them and support the sector to prosper. The tourism destinations and attraction centers seem to be decaying over time as a result of improper management and marketing of the resources. In this study, the paper focused on "Assessment of tourism opportunities in Bauchi state, Nigeria”. It specifically sought to identify the available tourism resources in the state which comprised of historical resort and safari, game reserve, and recreation centers among others; and their prospects towards investment; also, determine sectors that attract more investment and ascertained problems associated with tourism development. It is expected that the study could help in creating awareness on the benefits derivable from the sector. The main question was the level of utilization of tourism resources in Bauchi state. Data was obtained through quantitative method; questionnaires were administered on twenty respondents drawn from the public and private organizations to obtain relevant information. Field observation was conducted for further authentication of data. Descriptive statistics was employed to analyze information gathered.100 percent of responses agreed that Bauchi state has abundant tourism resources and 80 percent believed to some extent they are accessible to visitors. But, many respondents stated that the state derived little benefit due to under-utilization of the tourism resources, inadequate facilities for tourism activities, lack of awareness, and poor management are among major concerns. However, the hospitality sector attracted attention of private practitioners, while few destinations experience patronage periodically; many others require government commitment to attract investors and develop the industry. There has been little effort done in identifying the tourism resources that attract investment in Bauchi state; as a base for local and foreign interests that could make it more functional and pull more visitors. Some destination areas are still virgin because of limited funds to develop the attractions. More need to be done on them. Therefore, the current research is timely as it seeks to understand the role of existing tourism opportunities in attracting investors and tourists.