article · Agricultural Sciences
An assessment of rural tourism sites and visitor participation in the Igalamela-Odolu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Nigeria, evaluated visitor demographics, motivations, and obstacles. Data collected via semi-structured questionnaires showed that men made up 91.7 percent of visitors, with most male visitors being single and most female visitors being married. The primary age demographic was between 30 and 40 years, and the majority were literate students relying on public buses for transport. Recurrent visitors represented 92.33 percent of respondents, motivated primarily by holiday trips, recreation, and nature sighting. Visitors reported enjoyable experiences and intentions to revisit, despite facing challenges such as poor information regarding restaurant availability. Most details about rural tourism obstacles were communicated verbally. Overall, the findings demonstrate that rural tourism influences host destinations both positively and negatively.
Understanding who visits rural destinations and what challenges they face helps local planners and communities design better services. By identifying visitor profiles and operational hurdles such as limited dining information, rural regions can enhance visitor satisfaction, encourage repeat trips, and manage the balance between the positive and negative consequences of local tourism.
This study provides descriptive market data that could inform local tourism operators, transport providers, and hospitality businesses looking to serve domestic visitors. Specifically, the findings highlight an opportunity for travel guides or local digital directories addressing the shortage of restaurant information. As early-stage field research, it offers baseline consumer insights rather than a direct commercial product, requiring further applied development before practical implementation.
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Rural areas connect man to nature and contribute significantly to rural livelihood. The research assessed rural tourism sites and tourist participation in Igalamela-Odolu Local Government Area, Kogi State, Nigeria. Data were obtained through semi-structured questionnaire and were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel and Chi-squared test of freedom. Result revealed that males (91.7%) were the dominant tourist’s gender category. Most male (55.27%) tourists were singles, while 64% of the females were married with none in either gender reported as divorced. Observations revealed that most common age group was between 30-40 years old. A high percentage (55.27%) of tourists were students, while a large majority (98%) were literate. It was observed also that the recurrent visitors accounted for highest percentage (92.33%) and that public buses were the primary means of transportation for tourists. Recreation and nature sighting (23.92%) were common intentions for rural tourism, while holiday visits ranked first among the reasons for participation. A larger percentage (59.53%) of information about common challenges in rural tourism was conveyed verbally. One of the main challenges was inadequate information regarding restaurant availability for tourist utilization. With the satisfaction derived, tourists reported having a memorable and enjoyable experience, leading them to decide to revisit the destination. The relationship between the level of education was statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05). The study results indicated that tourism has both positive and negative impacts on tourist destinations. Keywords: destination community, environment, participation, rural tourism, tourists
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DOI: 10.22620/agrisci.2025.45.007
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