Tourism Potential Assessment of Gurara and Mayanka Waterfalls in Niger State, Nigeria
Niger State is endowed with diverse tourist attractions, notably Gurara and Mayanka waterfalls. This study evaluates the tourism prospects presented by these sites. Data collection involved questionnaires, oral interviews, and reconnaissance surveys. Secondary sources included journals, textbooks, conference materials, and official documents from the Niger State Government related to tourism in the study areas. Various analytical methods were employed, such as frequency percentages, arithmetic means, and a four-point rating scale.
Findings indicated that Gurara waterfall draws both domestic and international visitors, whereas Mayanka waterfall primarily attracts local Nigerians according to respondents. The analysis revealed that for Gurara waterfall, the highest agreement was found in the “strongly agreed” category with 164 respondents, while there were no disagreements. In the case of Mayanka waterfall, the “disagree” response was highest with 64 respondents, and “strongly disagree” had the fewest responses at 42.
Furthermore, 189 respondents strongly agreed that a tourism master plan existed for Gurara waterfall, while 116 respondents strongly disagreed regarding the existence of such a plan for Mayanka waterfall. This suggests that only Gurara waterfall had a tourism master plan, albeit with limited implementation.
Identified constraints to tourism in the study areas encompassed a lack of political support, strategic marketing, promotional initiatives, and event product development, such as festivals. Notably, the primary constraint appeared to be the absence of political will, highlighted by 110 respondents, whereas the lowest constraint was the lack of promotional programs, with 46 respondents.
Another significant observation was the underdevelopment of on-site accommodations at Gurara and Mayanka Waterfalls, which adversely affected tourists’ length of stay. To address this, it is recommended that the growth of tourism at these waterfalls in Niger State hinges on effective collaboration among key stakeholders, including tourism investors, the Niger State Government, local communities, and the Local Government Authority.
ANALYSIS ON TOURISM PROSPECTS PRESENTED BY GURARA AND MAYANKA WATERFALLS IN NIGER STATE. GET MORE, ACTUARIAL SCIENCE PROJECT TOPICS AND MATERIALS
