1.1 Introduction
Tourism is considered as one of the fastest growing industries in global level (WTO, 2014). It has an ability to generate both negative and positive impacts on the destination regions. Tourism development brings foreign currency inflows, infrastructure development, employment generation, regional development, income distribution through economic multiplier and it brings more negative environmental and socio-cultural consequences too (Geethika & Gnanapala, 2015).
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Tourism is the largest and fastest growing industry in the world. It accounts to about 7% of world capital investment with revenue predicted to rise up to 1.550 billion dollars by the year 2015. Africa has a meaningful share in the growing international tourism trade in terms of both tourist arrival and receipt. The importance of Nigerian tourism industry lies in its tourism resources in generating foreign exchange. The Central Bank of Nigeria revealed that the geometric increase in Nigerian tourism industry in which a total number of 828,906 tourists was registered in 2007 and about 900 billion tourist arrive worldwide has made tourism industry one of the most vibrant industries of the world, especially from the economic point of view. Nigeria has a land mass of about 365,000 square miles and she is a country of magnificent site, a wide range of fauna, excellent place for vacation, exploration and sightseeing. In terms of the environment, she has world class tropical rain forests, savannah, grassland, mangrove swamps and the Sahel savannah very close to the Sahara desert.
One of the main factors behind the success of Nigerian tourism is the natural beauty. Nigeria is located along the South Atlantic Ocean and she is blessed with a wide range of water resources. Being a coastal country, she has a wide range of beaches and other marine beauties. Historically, the coastal region aroused about two centuries ago in many European and North America nations as a new form of tourism destination for leisure purposes. Up to the 18th centuries, the coastal area has been a mere landscape, where religious presence and socio- cultural values had not encouraged the area to be known as a leisure site. Nigeria is also rich in handicrafts and sculptures, historical monuments, arts, sport, places of beauty, socio-cultural events, parks, museums, relaxation sites, waterfalls, resorts, hotels and other accommodation facilities among others. She also has abundant cultural and historical heritage which is one of the critical factors for developing rural and urban tourism in the country. However, several museums and other heritage sites in Nigeria often establish a special exhibition to showcase their product to prospective tourists and stakeholders.
The poverty is a major issue in developing countries, therefore, as a developing country; Sri Lanka tries to develop tourism in rural areas through empowerment of the local communities to involve in tourism activities. As highlighted by Jamieson, Goodwin & Edmunds (2004), poverty alleviation and tourism industry are interrelated in the third world and developing countries. The developing countries have introduced many tourism development projects to improve the economic standard of those communities.
Therefore, in Lagos State where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the implications of outbound tourism on socio economic development.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Investigation revealed that despite the fact that tourism is important to any nation, the problems associated with coastal tourism are quite enormous. In that case, such problems are perceptive at the coastal line of Lagos. Being the industrial capital of Nigeria, Lagos has attracted millions of people to the area for business, leisure and other purposes. This resulted in the coastline being over- congested during the holidays. The infrastructural facilities such as good road network and parking space are not enough to meet the demand of the coastal region.
The problem of pollution is one of the vital issues in contention. The solid waste disposal in the water by the residents and visitors has posed a potential environmental problem in the area and also made the coastal region unattractive. Flooding is also a major problem in the coastal area. Though this problem rarely occurs, it is one of the disadvantages of the region. Finally, the political will on the side of the government is not appreciable. Government is not paying adequate attention to coastal tourism and this constitutes a major setback to the development of tourism along the coastal line of Lagos.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to investigate the implications of outbound tourism on socio economic development using some selected tourist attractions in Lagos State as a case study. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To assess the socio-economic impact of tourism development in Nigeria as regard to the coastal area of Lagos state.
- To promote tourism development along the coastal line of Lagos.
- To assess the socio-economic contribution of tourism development on the host community
- To recommend a way forward towards the enhancement of coastal tourism in Nigeria.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- What is the socio-economic impact of tourism development in Nigeria as regard to the coastal area of Lagos state?
- What is tourism development promoted along the coastal line of Lagos State?
- What is the socio-economic contribution of tourism development on the host community?
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.
Hypothesis One
- H0: There is no significant socio-economic impact of tourism development in Nigeria as regard to the coastal area of Lagos state
- H1: There is a significant socio-economic impact of tourism development in Nigeria as regard to the coastal area of Lagos state
Hypothesis Two
- H0: Outbound Tourism has no significant contribution on Socio Economic Development on the host community
- H1: Outbound Tourism has a significant contribution on Socio Economic Development on the host community
1.7 Significance of Study
This study will be of immense benefit to researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.8 Scope of Study
The scope of the research is focused on the implications of outbound tourism on socio economic development using some selected tourist attractions in Lagos State as a case study.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
1.10 Definition of Terms
Tourism: Is the travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes.
Industry: The production of goods from raw materials especially in factories.
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