Potentials for Sustainable Tourism Development in Andoni and Opobo/ Nkoro Local Government Areas of Rivers State, Nigeria
Keywords:
Sustainable tourism, environmental resources,, economic empowerment, rural development,, cultureAbstract
The study examined the potentials for sustainable tourism development in Andoni and Opobo/ Nkoro local government areas in River state. Data were collected through questionnaire, observation and in-depth interview. A set of questionnaire was administered to household respondents in Ikuru (40), Ilotumbi (19), Oyorokotor (64), Epellema (20), Opobo town (263) and Queens’s town (40) in proportion to population size. Total of 446 respondents were sampled.
Data collected were subjected to descriptive analysis. Festivals (89.47%), Islands (82.05%); fishing (81.03%) and wild animals (80.22%) were the major tourist attractions in the study area. In Opobo, ancient land marks and relics of ancient instrument of warfare for defense of ancient kingdoms and chiefdoms, such as King Jaja’s monument (100%), and canon (100%) amongst others are still preserved. Tourist attractions in the area are underutilized and can be harnessed
for sustainable tourism development. The government should establish tourist centers in Opobo to preserve the cultural heritage in the area.
