Afamefuna Eyisi

This study explored the impacts of insecurity on the operations of selected hotels in Nnewi town of Anambra State. The study was anchored on social disruption theory to interpret how insecurity has affected visitors’ intention to visit the selected hotels. A qualitative design was adopted, and a purposive sampling technique was used to identify eight hotels. The study employed interviews and participant observation as data collection instruments and a thematic approach for the analysis. The findings showed that insecurity significantly impacts the performance of the hospitality industry in Nnewi. This is evident in how insecurity affects the hotels’ operations as it threatens the lives of workers and customers. The challenges have equally affected customer patronage, the work environment, and income generation. It was observed that besides the government enforcing and strengthening the security system in Anambra state through training, provision of gadgets and enacting stringent policies (such as curfew), the hotels have also employed measures to boost guests’ confidence and guarantee their safety. The measures include using CCTV cameras, providing guest registration forms for identification, and using an activation machine to monitor guest access to rooms. The study concludes that curbing insecurity in the study area requires more proactive mechanisms and strong collaborations between security stakeholders in the area.

Following increased awareness that the economic impacts alone do not justify support for tourism, studies on residents' perceptions have gained importance. Most early studies of tourism that used social exchange theory (SET) to study residents' perceptions were in advanced countries rather than African countries. This paper provides an empirical discussion of how SET can be used to explore residents’ perceptions of tourism in Southeastern Nigeria to contribute to research on the topic. In-depth interviews were conducted with 208 residents. Results of this study indicated that residents' perceptions of tourism could be influenced by creating opportunities for gender equity, community development and cultural preservation, fear of copying new behaviour from tourists, and local perceptions of foreign white tourists. The study concluded that a theoretical understanding of residents' perceptions of tourism requires identifying and addressing issues that influence such perceptions, which is essential for developing the industry in the area.

Research on residents’ perceptions of tourism has become a global area of discourse because such research is needed in planning and managing tourism. Earlier research focused on advanced economies and destinations where tourism has advanced, with limited literature on case studies within emerging economies. Thus, research on how gender influences residents’ perceptions of regional tourism is limited, implying that we know little in that domain. This paper reports on the findings of ethnographic interviews conducted with selected women participants in Southeastern Nigeria. The finding showed no significant impacts of tourism in the area but identified culture, unequal power distribution, and fear of neglect as issues that influence how women perceive tourism in the region. We conclude that the cultural dynamics in destinations within emerging economies can be a dominant variable that influences how residents perceive tourism and should be given more attention, especially in Africa.

There is a shortage of literature on the nature of tourism development and the socio-cultural impacts in Nigeria, making it challenging to identify and discuss strategies for building on positive aspects. Unplanned tourism leaves local people aggrieved, whilst planned tourism may provide economic benefits and help to revive their culture. Although tourism development in Nigeria is affected by terrorism and insecurity, the government is willing to develop the industry. Therefore, research is needed to understand tourism development and socio-cultural consequences. This paper reports on a study conducted in Southeastern Nigeria, which confirmed that tourism is in the early development stage, and the local people noted that significant adverse impacts are not observable. The paper proposes strategies for addressing potential negative socio-cultural impacts, including being realistic, working together, creating equal opportunities and education/awareness. This paper provides valuable information for planners and developers on possible ways of developing resident-friendly tourism destination.

Advocacy for the responsible development of tourism continues to attract attention from scholars. The emergence of responsible tourism in the 1990s was a call to action, and for a move from setting agendas (sustainable tourism) to stakeholder accountability. As tourism is still developing in Nigeria, this paper discusses strategies for supporting responsible tourism development in the Southeastern region of the country. Semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were organized with 166 stakeholders, including staff of tourism parastatals, traditional rulers, the representatives of men, women and youth and local security agencies. Findings identified possible strategies for determining if, when and how responsible tourism development might occur. These strategies include stakeholder empowerment, funding for tourism supporting facilities, boosting security and capacity for implementing tourism policies. The findings suggest that if well implemented, the tourism strategies are central to achieving future resident and tourist friendly development.