Tourism Viability Status of Kwa Falls Ecotourism Site of Aningeje Rural Community, Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

The tourism viability status of an eco-tourism site is distinctively an assessment of the tourist attractions that have potential for a given destination. It evaluates the prospects of a tourism destination and confirms whether the tourism site is functioning and its contributions to the host destination‟s sustainable economic growth. This study assesses the tourism viability status of the Kwa Falls eco-tourism site of Aningeje rural community, Cross River State, Nigeria. The objectives were to evaluate tourist perception of the study area and the patronage level across different years (2011-2020). The study took a qualitative approach and used stratified random sampling to select respondents, while data was collected using a simple random sample procedure. The study reveals that the study area is still viable, attractive, and unique, and tourists are still visiting the site even though there is a decline in the number of visitors. The result further reveals that from 2011 to 2015, the number of tourists visiting Kwa Falls has increased, and from 2016 to 2020, the study area experienced a sharp decline in the volume of visitors at the site. The first hypothesis shows significant variation in tourists‟ perception of Kwa Falls eco-tourism sites. The second hypothesis also offers a substantial variation in patronage status in the study area across the years. The study concludes that the government and other stakeholders should provide subvention as well as other necessary support services and facilities at the site.