EXPLORING THE ROLE OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN PROMOTING CULTURAL EXCHANGE AND INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT IN CALABAR METROPOLIS, NIGERIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64415/jams.v1i2.70Keywords:
Sustainable tourism, Cultural exchange, Inclusive development, Calabar, Community participation, Policy frameworkAbstract
The paper focuses on the importance of sustainable tourism in facilitating cultural interactions and inclusive growth in Calabar Metropolis, Nigeria. With the application of the mixed method, the study was able to gather its data from the survey techniques involving 400 questionnaires, Focus Group Discussion, and Key Informant Interviews to evaluate the levels of sociality and economicity of the impacts brought about by the forces of tourism to the area. The quantitative result, which involves descriptive and inferential statistical techniques, indicated the importance of tourism benefits on the residents, including their financial, cultural, and interactional contributions, especially in the context of Calabar Carnival, while the themes clearly justified the quantitative result by implying the benefits brought about by the forces of tourism, which are, however, hampered by the lack of infrastructure, lack of security, and the lack of coordination in the programmes initiated by the forces of tourism on the residents of the area.
Keywords: Sustainable tourism, Cultural exchange, Inclusive development, Calabar, Community participation, Policy framework
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