Degree and Socio-demographic Predictors of Residents’ Willingness to Participate in Mountain Tourism: The Case of Ado-Awaye Suspended Lake, Nigeria

Abstract

This study determined the degree and socio-demographic predictors of residents’ willingness to participate in the mountain tourism development of Ado-Awaye Suspended Lake (ASL), Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was employed to select and administer semi-structured questionnaires to three hundred and sixty-six (366) households. Descriptive statistics and binomial logistic regression algorithm were used to analyze the data. The results revealed that majority of the households were willing to learn about the natural heritage, preserve the culture, provide environmental education for tourists, and participate in mountain tourism-related employment. Among the four indicators of residents’ willingness to participate in mountain tourism development, households were willing to participate in mountain tourism planning. The linear regression analysis shows that predictors varied with the four critical indicators - willingness to conserve the natural resources, to preserve the cultural tradition, to sustainable community development, and to participate in the mountain tourism planning and management. This implied that the socio-demography of the residents is pertinent and should be put into consideration for the successful integration of the host community into the decision making framework as well as sustainable planning and development of the ASL for mountain tourism.

Keywords

• residents
• suspended lake
• mountain tourism
• participation
• nigeria