Abstract

Tourism in recent times has been expressed as a leisure and event-based activity. This study was carried out to examine tourists’ arrivals and patronage of the Obudu Mountain Resort in Cross River State, Nigeria. The data for the study were collected through questionnaire survey, interviews, field inventory and participatory rural appraisal methods. The data generated were analysed using descriptive statistics such as mean, percentages, averages, graphs, charts, frequencies and maps. Analysis of variance was employed to test the hypothesis of the study. The result of the analysis revealed that there is significant variation in tourists’ arrivals and patronage of the Mountain Resort (P<0.05, df =11,216, F=3.27). It was also observed that the local people were highly interested and involved in tourism related activities within the study area and the tourism industry had constantly improved their annual income. Based on these findings, it is recommended that more tourism events should be organized in the resort to attract more tourists’ visits to the area, and that the people should be supported through the provision of trainings, economic seminars, credit facilities, and the provision of basic social amenities in the host communities to help enhance their interest and participation in tourism activities.

Key words: Tourism industry, patronage, participation, host communities.