Assessment of Tourist Influx and Community Participation in Management of Ecotourism Site in Kainji Lake National Park, New-Bussa, Niger State, Nigeria

Abstract

This research work focused on assessment of tourist influx and community participation in management of ecotourism site in Kainji Lake National Park. Purposive sampling technique was used to administer one hundred (100) questionnaire to five (5) surrounding communities (Wawa, Malale, Leshegbe, Ibbi and Pelegi) while simple random technique was used to administered twenty (20) questionnaires to the staff of Kainji Lake National Park. This puts the sample size to one hundred and twenty (120) respondents. The total number of tourist influx of Kainji lake National Park for a period of 2010-2020 was 33907 in which year 2013 recorded the highest number of tourist with 7,730, followed by year 2011 with 6,103 and 2019 was the least with 254. The expectation of surrounding communities from ecotourism management revealed that improvement in standard of living and infrastructure development are the major expectation with a mean of 4.73 and 4.44, follows by business opportunity with a mean of 4.39 while urbanization is the least expectation with a mean of 3.03. Communities participation in ecotourism resources management showed that community involved in decision making recorded the highest mean of 2.84, followed by community are consulted in ecotourism development and involvement in conservation activities with a mean value of 2.73 and 2.60 each while not involving in poaching activities recorded the least mean of 1.00. The study therefore recommends that provision of stable government strategies and policy to improve ecotourism site in the study area.