ABSTRACT
Tourism destinations patronage
is not uniform. They vary according to the uniqueness of the destinations. For
a destination to be successful, it is imperative to address tourist‟s
expectations and satisfactions in other to determine the areas of strength to
utilize and areas of weaknesses to improve. This study advances the
understanding of tourist demographic characteristics, trip characteristics and
travel motivations of tourists in the study area. Using krejcie and morgan
sample table, 380 questionnaires were administered. The study found that
tourists were typically highly educated, young adults and mostly males, working
full time with high income. On average tourists stayed in Jos for 1-7 days and
traveled alone for adventure, leisure or educational purposes. The study also
reveals and ranked the factors motivating and militating tourist‟s choice of
Jos. Visiting of relations and friends, weather/climate, scenic beauty and
unique attractions ranked higher in motivating tourist choice of Jos, while
frequent and incessant crisis ranked highest in discouraging tourist choice of
Jos. An Important Performance Analysis Technique (IPA) was used to determine
the most important and performing tourism component in the study area. It was
discovered that attraction is the most important performing component of Jos as
a tourist destination. In the light of the above, the study makes
recommendations to improve the study area‟s attractiveness and to satisfy
tourist needs and expectations in other to enhance patronage.
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Tourism
destination is the primary location of supply or the focus of resourceps,
facilities and services (tourism infrastructure) that are available to cater
for the needs of tourists (Keyser, 2009). For destination to function properly
and compete effectively all the component must be in place. Destinations are
outlets for tourists who desire to experience places, people and environments
away from where they live. People‟s views about the tourism experiences and
resources available at the tourism destinations draw tourists from originating
areas or markets along routes to the destination or tourist receiving area.
Nigeria lies in
the tropical region of West Africa, it is a great country endowed with vast
landforms, art and culture, wildlife, rich historical background, natural and
mineral resources. It is so endowed that almost every destination has a unique
characteristics worthy of inviting travelers. Over the years tourism had
developed with the effort of both public and private investors in the industry.
Tourists have also been trooping in continuously to engage in different tourism
activities at various destinations (Obudu Ranch Resort in Cross River State,
Yankari National Park in Bauchi State, Ibeno Beach in Akwa Ibom State, Ogbunike
Cave in Anambra State, NOK village in Kaduna State, Birnin Kudu Rock Painting
in Jigawa State, Oguta Lake Holiday Complex in Imo State, etc.). Jos is the
capital of Plateau State and is blessed with abundant tourism potentials, such
as spectacular rock formations, hydrological bodies, wildlife, rich festivals
and craft which necessitated the existing tourism drive in jos. The tourism
activities that take place in Jos can be categorized into cultural/heritage tourism,
ecotourism, leisure tourism, geotourism and educational tourism.
To achieve competitive advantage, any
destination must ensure that its overall attractiveness and the experience
offered is superior to the alternative destinations open to potential visitors
(Dwyer and Kim, 2003). It is widely acknowledged in the marketing field that,
knowing customers, predicting and meeting their expectations are the keys to
success. Therefore tourism practitioners need detailed characteristics of
tourists and their patterns of consuming tourism products and services in other
to effectively plan for them (Kotler et al, 2002; Swarbrooke and Horner, 1999).
Jos is a well
known, important and interesting tourism destination, identified and classified
in the Nigeria Tourism Development Master Plan under the scenic nature cluster,
because of its attractiveness, quality, uniqueness and potentials of
attractions (NTDMP, 2006). Government also made efforts to make it an attractive
tourism destination for tourists from within and outside the country. Despite
its attractiveness no action has been taken to study and understand the
patronage characteristics of the visiting tourists and the factors motivating
them. The knowledge of patronage characteristics and factors motivating
tourists to visit tourism destination is significant in other to address the
tourists‟ expectations and satisfactions which will help to determine the
strength and weakness of destinations which will be further used to improve the
destination attributes and develop marketing strategies to compete with other
destinations (Pakaleva-Shapira, 2007).
This observed
that, because of the lack of knowledge on tourist patronage characteristics and
motivations in the study area, government lack the understanding of the areas
of strength to utilize and maintain, and areas of weakness to improve upon in
developing its tourism potentials. This has led to a poor development of its
tourism sector, thus making it difficult for the destinations in the study area
to compete effectively with other destinations internationally.
Attempt at
addressing tourist expectations and satisfaction to determine areas of strength
and weakness of destinations has gained wide attention from various
researchers; Gadja, 2008; Siri, 2009 and Gillett, 2011 analyzed participants
characteristics (demographic characteristics), travel patterns, motivations,
perceptions and satisfaction of tourist visiting tourism destinations. Other
studies on Jos tourism only classified the tourists into domestic and
international tourists (Aniah et al, 2009 and Eja et al, 2009), thus creating a
gap in knowledge on the patronage characteristics of tourism destinations and
factors motivating tourists to visit Jos. Hence this study attempts to analyze
destinations patronized and tourist‟s motivations to visit the study area.
1.2 RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
i.
What are the patronage
patterns of tourism destinations in Jos?
ii.
What are the factors
motivating tourists‟ choice of destinations in Jos?
1.3 AIM
The aim of this
study is to analyse the patronage characteristics of tourism destinations and
the factors motivating tourist to visit tourism destinations in Jos, with a
view to make appropriate recommendations to improve patronage.
1.4 OBJECTIVES
i.
To review the concept
and technique for analysing tourism destination patronage.
ii.
To analyse patronage
characteristics of tourism destinations in Jos.
iii.
To identify factors
motivating choice of tourism destinations.
iv.
To identify factors
militating against tourism patronage in Jos.
v.
To make
recommendations for improvement of tourism destinations patronage in Jos.
This study will
centre on the analysis of patronage characteristics of tourism destinations in
Jos, focusing on tourist demographic characteristics, tourist patronage of
destinations and the factors motivating them to visit. The study will be
limited to Jos as a region (covering the three local government areas; Jos
North, Jos South and Jos East) in regards to data collection, analysis and
recommendations.
1.6 DEFINITION
OF TERMS
Tourism destination:
Tourism destination as a physical space in
which the visitor spend at least one night and is made up of tourism
products such as support services and attractions, and tourism resources with
physical and administrative boundaries that defines its management,
images/perceptions of market competitiveness (world tourism organization,
2003).
Tourism: is defined as the entire activities of person(s) travelling to
and staying in a place(s) outside their usual environment for not more
than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related
to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited
(UNWTO, 2010).
Tourist: a tourist is someone who satisfies the conditions of travelling
at least fifty miles from home for any period of less than a year and
that while they are away, they spend money in the place they visit without
earning it there (Morley, 1990).
Patronage: patronage is the business that comes into an establishment
generating revenue; it can also be seen as business or activity provided
by a patron. For this study the above definition was adapted to be: the
business or activities provided by patrons (tourists) in a destination,
generating revenue.
Characteristics: Trait,
Quality or property or a group of them distinguishing an individual, group
or type.
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Item Type: Project Material | Size: 83 pages | Chapters: 1-5
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