Effectiveness of Tourism Management through Conscientisation Strategies on Socio-economic Conditions of the People in Imo State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined effectiveness of tourism management through conscientisation strategies on socio-economic conditions of the people in Imo State, Nigeria. Two research questions guided this study. Descriptive survey research design was adopted. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 1513 indigenes of the host communities with tourist attractions. Questionnaire tagged Effectiveness of Tourism Management through Conscientisation Strategies on Socio-Economic Conditions of the People (QETMCSS-ECP) (r = 0.81) was the research instrument used for data collection. Completed and retrieved 1500 copies of questionnaire were analyzed using mean score statistics. Results showed that village meeting, popular participation, awareness campaign, community education, and mass media programmes are the conscientisation strategies that can be used to educate people on effective management of tourist attractions in the communities. Also finding revealed that conscientisation strategies through effective tourism management are capable of enhancing socio-economic conditions of the people as these will increase standard of living, employment opportunities, alleviate poverty and generate income. The study therefore recommended that all stakeholders in tourism development should endeavour to effectively manage tourist attractions through conscientisation strategies such as village meeting, popular participation, awareness campaign, community education, and mass media programmes as these will enhance socio-economic conditions of the people.