ABSTRACT
Hospitality is a principal tourism-feature industry group but its recent economic performance in Nigeria has not been encouraging. Tourism operations in Nigeria have been marred by increased in prices, poor management and lack of support by the government among others. These however have hindered the economic development of the country in this area. This study therefore investigatesthe challenges of the hospitality and tourism industry in Nigeria. The study has three objectives which are: to assess the prevalence of the challenges of the hospitality and tourism industry in Nigeria, to ascertain the impacts of the challenges facing hospitality and tourism industry towards the economic growth of Nigeria and to establish the efforts taken by the government to combat the challenges facing the hospitality and tourism industry in Nigeria.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
The activities of tourism in Nigeria has not been taking into consideration as part of economic development of the nation has been relegated to the background therefore has been managed by non experts and those who ventured into tourism and activities by investment. In problems facing the tourism industry in Nigeria it is not only the duties of the government ensure to tourism development, but the experts in the field have been quiet on the management of tourism in Nigeria.Tourism has been relegated to the third or fourth tier of economic generation of the nation.The policies of tourism in Nigeria have not beenseen on the prospects of tourism in this country; the reason are very obvious and discreet the person managing the affairs of tourism in Nigeria has nothing to do with tourism and in real occasion is just an investor or a walk in person through politics.
Recently in 2012, the [NUC] National University Commission started accrediting Hospitality and Tourism Management programs in Nigeria under the Faculties of Agriculture, just because the people in the policy making unit are from the wrong side or direction of the highest economic revenue generation.The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has not thrived because those at the helm of affairs have no direction on the course of Tourism and those directing them are lost in ideas of the tourism and tourist activities. In the industry the scene is another part of film to be watched, the investor do not care about the professional and prefer to manage their businesses [Hospitality and Tourism] with non professional therefore promoting quackery and as such failure is expected. The Hotel Owners Forum or Association has high jacked the activities of the industry which they do not know anything about.
The number one challenge facing hospitality and tourism industry is the relegation of National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism Studies [NIHOTOUR] as a research institute on tourism to the background which is really affecting the normal operations in the country. The NUC has not also taken time to visit the institute for upgrade as it is done in other countries where Nigeria go to study in their institutes and awarded certification for Masters, and Doctorate and these are accepted and upheld in the systems in Nigeria. The greatest challenge the tourism industry is having in Nigeria now is not merging or scrapping but it is wrong management and administration through quackery and Education system mismanagement of the tourism programs and its related courses from Business Management to Agricultural Science Department, as such the government would lack ideas and advice as what and where tourism belong. All professionals should advice the government to strengthen the tourism parastatals with tourism and Hospitality management graduates. Let it be on record that as a professional in the tourism, Hospitality and its activities having school home and abroad tourism is not an Agricultural program, NUC should take note, food manufacturing, processing is different from production [cooking] food eating, any graduate of this must know the aspects of food science as it relates to food.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Tourism will strive in Nigeria when given the due and adequate attention needed in the hand of professional through empowerment, consultation, and committee. And Hospitality and Tourism Management Association of Nigeria [HATMAN] should stand up to their call and direct tourism in Nigeria and generate the economy from tourism and tourist activities. Most of the answersto the unanswered questions on tourism are in the policies, to which no professional has been part of. These problems facing the hospitality and tourism industry in Nigeria made the researcher to develop interest in assessing the challenges of the hospitality and tourism industry in Nigeria.
1.3 Research Questions
These are some of the questions the study is designed to answer:
i) what is the prevalence of the challenges of the hospitality and tourism industry in Nigeria?
ii) what are the impacts of the challenges facing hospitality and tourism industry towards the economic growth of Nigeria?
iii) what are the efforts taken by the government to combat the challenges facing the hospitality and tourism industry in Nigeria?
1.4 Objectives of the Study
The main objective of this study is to investigate the challenges of the hospitality and tourism industry in Nigeria.The specific objectives and are:
i) to assess the prevalence of the challenges of the hospitality and tourism industry in Nigeria
ii) to ascertain the impacts of the challenges facing hospitality and tourism industry towards the economic growth of Nigeria
iii) to establish the efforts taken by the government to combat the challenges facing the hospitality and tourism industry in Nigeria
1.5 Research Hypothesis
Ho1: There is no significant challenge of the hospitality and tourism industry in Nigeria.
1.6 Significance of the Study
This study is designed to investigate the challenges of the hospitality and tourism industry in Nigeria. It is also intended to find out the challenges facing the contributions of tourism industry in the country. It will reveal the efforts the government is making to ensure good standard of the industry in order to have a significant contribution to the revenue of the country.
1.7 Scope of the Study
This study investigates the significance of the tourism industry on economic development of Nigeria; it will therefore be carried out in some major tourist centres in the south southern states of the country.
1.8 Limitation of the study
The study will be faced with a lot of challenges and one it the problem of finance. There is not going to be enough funds to print questionnaires and to also transport the researcher to meet the desired respondents. Another one is time; the researcher is currently busy with the demand of his academics. A lot of assignments are available for the researcher to do and coupled with his desire to read and learn at the same time. These are the major challenges of this study.
1.9 Definitions of Terms
The following terms were used in the course of this study:
Challenges:the situation of being faced with something that needsgreat mental or physical effort in order to be done successfully and therefore tests a person's ability
Hospitality: the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers.
Tourism: is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours.
REFERENCES
Dr. ObinnaUgochukwuOnyeocha Alex,(2016). Challenges of Tourism in Nigeria: As
Tourism Ministry in Federal Level is Scrapped or Merged? Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/challenges-tourism-nigeria-ministry-federal-level-merged-alex-o-u.Accessed on the 8th of September, 2017.
John P. Moriarty. Challenges for the New Zealand hospitality industry: beyond price.
Retrieved from http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/PageFiles/7235/Moriarty.pdf.Accessed on the 8th of September, 2017.
