Tourism Infrastructure and Sustainable Ecotourism Development in Cross River National Park, Nigeria 0 0
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60787/jete.vol9no1.76Keywords:
Tourism Infrastructure, Ecotourism Development, Stakeholder Perceptions, Cross River National ParkAbstract
Tourism infrastructure is fundamental to sustainable ecotourism development in protected areas. This study assessed the condition of tourism infrastructure and its implications for sustainable ecotourism development in Cross River National Park, Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was adopted, and data were collected from 400 stakeholders comprising local community members, visitors, park staff, tour operators, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and government agencies using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and Tukey HSD post-hoc tests. The findings revealed that tourism infrastructure in the park was generally inadequate (Grand Mean = 2.89), with major deficiencies in road accessibility, utilities, security infrastructure, and accessibility to tourist sites. ANOVA results indicated significant differences in infrastructure ratings among stakeholder groups F(5,394) = 6.91, p < 0.001. Post-hoc analysis showed that park staff and government agencies rated infrastructure significantly higher than local communities and NGOs. The study contributes empirical evidence on stakeholder perceptions of infrastructure deficiencies in protected areas. It concludes that inadequate infrastructure constrains tourism growth, visitor satisfaction, and conservation effectiveness. The study recommends increased investment in infrastructure, improved accessibility, enhanced security systems, and sustainable facility management to promote ecotourism development.
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