Foreign tourists' perceptions of safety and their future travel intentions to Nigerian cultural festivals.
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Date
2020
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The College of Tourism and Hotel Management, Cyprus and Ball State University, USA
Abstract
Cultural festivals provide Nigeria with a platform to showcase its uniqueness and attractiveness as an international tourist destination. However, issues over crime which has emerged recently has become a vital concern regarding travelling to the country. This study thus, examines foreign tourists’ perceptions of Nigeria as a travel destination, particularly regarding tourists answered a questionnaire while attending the 2019 Olojo and Osun festivals. In the overall, respondents generally had positive perceptions with regards to their safety. Nevertheless, majority of the respondents felt unsafe while going out in the night and using public transport. Some socio-demographic factors (such as gender, country of origin, length of stay, number and purpose of visits) were found to affect respondents’ perceived personal safety. Besides, concerns for safety did not appear to adversely affect respondents’ future travel intentions to return to Nigeria and recommend the country as a travel destination to others. These findings are useful to tourism management professionals and contribute to the improvement of major traditional festivals in sub-Saharan Africa specifically and globally, in general.
Description
Keywords
Cultural tourism, Crime-risks, Perceived safety, Repeat visitation, International tourists
Citation
Badiora, A. I., & Bako, A. I. (2020). Foreign tourists' perceptions of safety and their future travel intentions to Nigerian cultural festivals. Tourism Today, 19(Special Issue), 121-149