Tourism and Festivals in a Community

How a community responds to the opportunities and challenges of tourism and festival depends to a large extent on its attitude to the respective industry. Values and beliefs held by individuals in a community are inextricably linked and shape people’s attitudes and the way they act in specific situations (Derrett, 2005: 40). Derrett (2005) says that values, interests and aspirations of individuals are influenced by their natural environment. How this leads to a sense of community that influences how the community celebrates; that affects the community’s wellbeing, which is shared with visitors who in turn interact with host community; they now have a shared image and identity to reflect and determine their values and beliefs. Derrett (2005) suggests that festival allows local people to satisfy their leisure needs and residents are able to work as volunteers at large and small events. That is shown as another way for visitors to get a sense of local values and interests. This in turn can help break down the host-guest gulf that can exist when large numbers of visitors descend on a destination.

Festivals are connected to cultures and to places, giving each identity and helping bind people to their communities (Getz, 2010: 3), and provides an opportunity for community cultural development, which, like a sense of place, is nearly an invisible phenomenon (Derrett, 2003: 40). Ap and Crompton (1998) suggested that tourism is perceived to contribute changes in value systems, individual behavior, family relations, collective lifestyle, moral conduct and community organizations. These kind of social impacts maybe positive or negative. With the development of tourism, there might be changes in the social structure of the community.

The co...

... middle of paper ...

... income. Nevertheless, there is no doubting the importance of tourism and Agriculture as a source of job.

Nigerians are aware of the natural endowments they have in abundance and are willing to show their cultural heritage to foreign visitors among their midst. Despite all these attractions which the country has in abundant, there are several problems to be faced. Firstly, deciding whether the tourist potentials are worth exploiting from an economic, political, cultural and social stand point. Secondly, what type of tourism is to be encouraged, mass, high investment tourism, low spending but high gross income and so on. With the amount of rich potentials of natural, physical and human resources in Nigeria, the federal and state government plans for the development of tourism which will give the tourism industry impetus to thrive for more success in years to come.