Fourth International Conference on Tourism and Leisure Studies

Abstract

The relationship between ecotourism development and the provision of social services for the host communities of the Obudu Mountain Resort is investigated in this study. The study determined the impact of ecotourism on the living conditions of the host community; with respect to the provision of social amenities. Six settlements of Apah-ajili, Kegol, Kejioku, Okwamu, Okpazenge and Old Ikwette, surrounding the hotel area, constitute the study population. Three hundred adult respondents, out of the total population of 5,048, were drawn from the six surrounding settlements. The multi-stage random sampling technique was adopted in which a purposive sampling of two footpaths in each of the settlement was done. In the second stage, numbers were assigned to all the households in each of the settlements. Average of four households in each of the settlements was selected using the table of random sampling to get a total of about 24 households. About 13 respondents were again randomly selected and administered with the research instrument. Multi-linear Regression Analysis was employed to measure the degree of association and the relationship between the variables. The study showed a is weak relationship between ecotourism operations and the socio-economic benefits accruing therein to the indigenes of the area. The infrastructural aspect of ecotourism had a stronger relationship than that of the super structural. It is recommended that Government should step up efforts to expand the provisions of social and infrastructural amenities in the area.