ABSTRACT
The study aimed at examining the relationship between destination marketing and tourism development in Nigeria. Specific objectives of the study were to; ascertain the influence of tourism product, price, promotion, place, people, process, and physical evidence on international tourist arrivals in Nigeria. The study adopted the survey research design and made use of secondary data from the World Bank and World Economic Forum. Pearson Correlations was used to test the relationships between the dependent variable – International Tourist Arrivals and the independent variables –7Ps of marketing. The results revealed strong and significant relationships between tourism price competitiveness, tourism product promotion and international tourist arrivals. Other variables such as product, place, people, physical evidence, and process exhibited weak and insignificant relationships with international tourist arrival. This study concluded that destination marketing activities of Nigeria is not adequate and requires urgent attention to enable the country compete favorably with other competing destinations in Africa in attracting international tourists and benefitting from the multiplier effects of tourism development. The study recommended among others that the destination marketing/management organizations, both at the national and regional levels should take marketing seriously by developing holistic marketing programmes to boost awareness of the country’s tourism resources and also work with the private sector businesses in order to attract more international tourists to the country.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page - - - - - - - - - - i
Certification - - - - - - - - - - ii
Approval
Page - - - - - - - - - - iii
Dedication - - - - - - - - - - iv
Acknowledgements - - - - - - - - - v
List of
Tables - - - - - - - - - - viii
List of
Figures - - - - - - - - - - ix
Abstract - - - - - - - - - - x
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
of the Study - - - - - - - - 1
1.2 Statement of the Problem - - - - - - - - 3
1.3 Objectives of the Study - - - - - - - - 5
1.4 Research Questions - - - - - - - - - 5
1.5 Research Hypotheses - - - - - - - - 6
1.6 Scope of the Study - - - - - - - - 6
1.7 Significance of the Study - - - - - - - - 6
1.8 Definition of Terms - - - - - - - - 7
CHAPTER TWO REVIEW OF RELATED
LITERATURE
2.1 Introduction - - - - - - - - -
8
2.2 conceptualization of tourism - - - - - - - 8
2.2.1 Type of tourism - - - -
- - - 10
2.2.2 Tourism in Nigeria - - - - - 12
2.2.3 Destination - - - - - - 14
2.3.1 Destination marketing - - - 14
2.3.2 Destination marketing organisations - - - - - - 15
2.4
Marketing - - - - 17
2.4.1
Marketing mix and tourism development - - - - - 17
2.5 Destination Competitiveness - - - - - - - 22
2.6 Theoretical framework - - - - - - - 23
2.6.1 Marketing
mix model - - - - - - 23
2.6.2 AIDA
model - - - - - - - - - 25
2.6.3
Stimulus response model of buyer behavior - - - - - 27
2.7
Empirical framework - - - - - - - 29
CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction - - - - - - - - - 37
3.2 Research Design - - - - - - - - - 37
3.3 Area of study - - - - - - - - - 37
3.4 Sources of Data - - - - - - - - - 38
3.5 Techniques of data presentation and
analysis - - - - 38
3.5.1 Pearson product moment correlation - - - - - - 38
CHAPTER FOUR DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
4.1 Introduction - - - - - - - - - 39
4.2 Presentation
and Interpretation of Data - - - - - - 39
4.3 Testing of Hypotheses - - - - - - - - 41
4.4. Discussion
of Findings and Implications- - - - - - 47
CHAPTER FIVE SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION
AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Introduction
- - - - - - - - - 50
5.2 Summary
of Findings - - - - - - - - 50
5.3
Conclusion - - - - - - - - - 51
5.4 Recommendations- - - - - - - - 52
5.5. Suggestions
for Further Studies- - - - - - - 53
References - - - - - - - - - 54
LIST
OF TABLE
Table 4.1 Scores
of Tourism product, Price Competitiveness, Accessibility (place),
People, Place,
physical evidence and number of International Tourist
Arrivals to Nigeria
from 2009-2019 - - - - 40
Table 4.2: Correlations
result between Product and International Tourist Arrivals 41
Table 4.3: Correlations
result between Price Competitiveness and International
Tourist Arrivals - - - - - - - 42
Table 4.4: Correlations
result between Tourism Promotion and International
Tourist Arrivals - - - - - - - 43
Table 4.5: Correlations
result between Accessibility (place) and international
Tourist Arrivals - - - - - - - 43
Table 4.6: Correlations result between Process on
International Tourist Arrivals 44
Table 4.7: Correlations results between people and
international tourist Arrivals 45
Table 4.8: Correlations
results between Physical evidence and International
Tourist Arrivals - - - - - - - 46
LIST
OF FIGURES
Figure 2.1: Proposed Conceptual Model of the Study - - - - 36
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background of the study
Tourism
is a social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of
people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal,
business or professional purposes. These people are called visitors (which may
be either tourists or excursionists; residents or non-residents) and tourism
has to do with their activities, some of which imply tourism expenditure. Tourism
is travel for recreation, leisure, religious, family or business purposes,
usually for a limited duration. Tourism is commonly associated with
international travel, but may also refer to travel to another place within the
same country (World Economic Forum, 2013). Tourism appears as a large major
growth sector in the global economy. This industry may play a vital role in
enhancing a country’s trade performance. Therefore, many governments have
sought to improve their competitive position with respect to the global tourism
market. The importance of tourism in the economy of the developing countries is
illustrated by its contribution to economy and its role in the tourism global market.
The
development of tourism is what must be controlled to sustain natural resources
and cultural attribute on which tourism depends (Jeffery, 2001), The process of
communication worldwide has made E-tourism more favorable for travelers to
browse for quick information where net utilization plays an important role on
E-tourism in promoting rapid information (Amer et al 2012), Tourism
infrastructure as a physical evidence has been considered a part of tourism and
plays a key role in attracting tourism (Quang, 2021) and the role of service
infrastructure increasing product experience sharpens the overall image of a
destination for tourist. The image and quality of brands in promotion should
match the expectations and perception of the consumer and evolve dynamically
concerning the changing environment. Each brand contact should deliver a
message whether good or bad or indifferent and should aim at delivering a
consistent & positive message (Henry, 2020), Customer orientation through
people is regularly seen as a desire by a worker to help clients address their
issues during the execution of authoritative tasks (Ragulin, 2017) customer-oriented
selling endeavors to fulfill clients & eventually construct connections.
The technique of facilitating the visa process for certain types of visitors is
used among countries especially for temporary visitor who are visiting for
tourism purposes. Travelers see visas mainly as a formality that imposes a cost
(UNWTO 2013). Countries and business should take into account tourist goods and
services prices in rival destination in international attention to comparative
price competitiveness especially among alternative destinations.
Tourism
is now the world’s largest industry,
with global tourism alone accounting for some 657 million trips and
generating earnings of $285 billion per annum (1998).The number of
international journeys is expected to grow at an average rate of 3 - 4% per
year, which means that the level of international travel will double within the
next 20 years. The WTO forecasts that international arrivals are expected to
reach over 1.56 billion by the year 2020. Of these, 1.2 billion will be
intra-regional and 0.4 billion will be long haul travelers between the regions.
By 2020 Europe will be the top tourist destination (717 mil arrivals) followed
by East Asia and the Pacific (397 mil arrivals) and the Americas (282 million
arrivals).Rapid growth of tourism development and its impacts have prompted
calls for higher level of sustainability from both sides i.e. supply side (i.e.
destination) and customers’ side (i.e. tourists).
Aiyamenkhue
(2010) opined that the tourism potentials of Nigeria are very enormous and
there is no gainsaying that if properly developed will herald huge revenues
into our country. Nigeria offers a wide variety of tourist attractions such as
extended roomy river and ocean beaches ideal for swimming and other water
sports, unique wildlife, vast tracts of unspoiled nature ranging from tropical
forest, magnificent waterfalls, some new rapidly growing cities and climatic
conditions in some parts particularly conducive to holidaying. Other
attractions include traditional ways of life preserved in local customs, rich
and varied handicrafts and other colorful products depicting or illustrative of
native arts and lifestyle, and the authentic unsophisticated but friendly
attitude of many in the Nigerian population. The recognition of the increasing
role and prospects of tourism in the global socioeconomic sector immediately
attracts attention, especially as Nigeria is bountifully blessed with tourism
resources. The Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) both at the national
and regional levels were expected to develop comprehensive tourism programmers,
train staff for the sector, package tourism products in Nigeria and market them
for both domestic and foreign consumption. Tourism activity also involves
economic costs, including the direct costs incurred by tourism businesses,
government costs for infrastructure to better serve tourists, as well as
congestion and related costs borne by individuals in the community (Kolb, 2006.).Many
analysts of the tourism sector in Nigeria agree that the sector has the
potential of not only contributing to foreign exchange earnings but also can
assist the reduction of the concentrated oil industry. The weather, vegetation,
and climate make Nigeria a tourism destination of variety, Attractive, weather
and climate notwithstanding, the number of tourist attractions is the ultimate
key to the demand for tourism in any economy. About 101 tourist attractions in
Nigeria, spread across the six geopolitical zones and spanning different types
of tourism assets such as rocks, plateaus, hills, springs, lakes, waterfalls,
beaches, museums, shrines, cultural festivals, parks, gardens, game reserves,
zoos, etc. Natural attraction (e.g. forests, parks and caves), cultural
attractions (e.g. Traditional lifestyles, festivals, music and dances), and
historic and heritage sites (e.g. Museums, archeological sites, historic towns)
are in abundance in Nigeria. Nigeria is well-positioned to also exploit the
growing interest in organic food and in natural products in virtually every
part of the globe.
There are countless festivals and carnivals
organized across the 36 states of the federation. Many of these cultural events
are probable income gainers on their own both for the government and the
community. It is on this background that the research work is based, to evaluate
the effect of the seven P’s of marketing on international tourist arrivals in
Nigeria.
1.2 Statement
of the problem
Over the decades, tourism has
experienced continued growth and deepening diversification to become one of the
fastest growing economic sectors in the world. Modern tourism is closely linked
to development and encompasses a growing number of new destinations. These
dynamics have turned tourism into a key driver for socio-economic progress
(WEF, 2013).Despite the abundance of tourism resources and Government's effort
in establishing Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation and State Tourism
Boards to promote the tourism industry in Nigeria, the country’s position (129th)
among the competing nations is worrisome. The World Tourism Organization's
master plan for tourism in Nigeria conducted in 2019, reported that marketing
approach and activities towards tourism development are underfunded,
inadequate and ineffective, the tourist products are not organized and
well-packaged for the market place; Nigeria's tourist attractions are unknown
to the international travel trade and the image of Nigeria abroad is very
negative and not being addressed. In the same vein, Travel and Tourism Competitiveness
Index (TTCI) of 2019 by World Economic Forum shows that Nigeria slipped
downward in the world rankings from 127th in 2013 to 129th in 2019. Besides,
out of the 141 countries surveyed all over the world in the competitive index,
Nigeria ranks 133rd in government prioritization of Travel and Tourism
industry; 122nd in treatment of customers; 134th in effectiveness of
marketing to attract tourists; 134th in country brand strategy rating (1-10
best); 69thin price competitiveness; 116th on Air
Transport infrastructure; 132nd on Ground and Port infrastructure;
119th in Tourist Service infrastructure; 60th in Cultural
Resources and Business Travels; 132nd in Human Resources and Labour
Market (WEF, 2019).With potentials and opportunities
abound in this sector; taking these to the level where they would become a
major income earner for the state requires numerous challenges to be overcome. The
future of tourism in the solid economic growth of Nigeria largely depends on
the opportunities and challenges being exploited and addressed, and stressed if
the opportunities and potentials which Nigeria has, are exploited and the
challenges met, substantial investment in planned and strategic marketing of
Nigeria as a desirable tourist destination would be required and could make a
positive impact for economic growth and tourism development.
Several studies has been carried out on tourism development and
destination marketing, most of them focused on social media marketing on brand
loyalty (Irem et al 2012), marketing for
environmentally sustainable Tourism (Dolnicar & Leisch 2008), Consumer
Buying Process in a Model Tourism Destination Cotler (Marzieh & Hossein 2015),
Determining satisfaction of international tourist(Carlos et al 2019), Different
aspects of Tourism marketing strategies (Mahboob & Chowdhury 2008), An
examination of use of social media in destination marketing (Abbas & Rosmah
2014), how to Communicate Sustainable Tourism Products Effectively to Customers
(Roger et al 2013), Private Sector Participation and Tourism Development
(Udumo, et al 2013),marketing mix for
sustainable tourism(Ranbir, 2014), marketing sustainable tourism (Friederike et
al 2019), destination marketing as a team effort(Fredric 2009), marketing
through a utility business model(Haris,2010),influence of marketing on tourist
arrivals(Agina et al,2020).
Despite the fact that some
studies have been conducted in the area of destination marketing and tourism
development, there is no recent work that covers the entire P’s of marketing in
Nigeria. The present study seeks to cover the gap by study on the influence or
effect of the 7P’s of marketing on international tourist arrivals in Nigeria.
1.3 Objective
of the study
The main objective of the study examined the relationship between
the seven Ps of marketing and tourism development in Nigeria. Specifically, the
research work strives:
1.
To examine the effect of tourist products on
international tourist arrivals in Nigeria.
2. To ascertain the influence
of price competitiveness on international tourist arrivals in Nigeria.
3. To determine the
relationship between tourism promotion on international tourists arrivals in
Nigeria.
4. To determine the
influence of accessibility (place) on international tourist arrivals in
Nigeria.
5. To determine the effect
of the people on international tourist arrival in Nigeria.
6. To analyze the
relationship between the process on international tourist arrival in Nigeria.
7.
To analyze the effect of physical evidence on
international tourist arrival in Nigeria.
1.4 Research Questions
Based on the objectives of the study, the following research
questions were answered:
1. How effective is tourist
product on international tourist arrivals in Nigeria?
2. To what extent will the
price competitiveness influence international tourist arrivals in Nigeria?
3. What is the relationship
between tourism promotions on international tourist arrivals in Nigeria?
4. What is the relationship
of accessibility (place) on international tourist arrivals in Nigeria?
5. What is the effect of
the people on international tourist arrivals in Nigeria?
6. What is the relationship
between the processes on international tourist arrival in Nigeria?
7. How effective is
physical evidence on international tourist arrival in Nigeria?
1.5 Research Hypotheses
The following Null hypotheses were tested for the purpose of the
study:
1.
Tourist product has no significant effect on
international tourist arrivals in Nigeria.
2. Price competitiveness
has no significant effect on international tourist arrivals in Nigeria.
3. Tourism promotion has no
significant relationship with international tourist arrivals in Nigeria.
4. Accessibility (place)
has no significant relationship with international tourist arrivals in Nigeria.
5. People have no significant effect on
international tourist arrivals in Nigeria.
6. Process has no significant relationship with
international tourist arrival in Nigeria.
7.
Physical
evidence has no significant effect on tourist arrival in Nigeria.
1.6. Scope of the study
The scope of the study covers the independent variables (product,
price, promotion, people, process, place, physical evidence) and dependent
variable (international tourist arrivals). Data on dependent variable and
independent variables will be collected from 2009-2019.
1.7. Significance of the study
The significance of this research can be viewed from two perspectives
- academic and professional. Professionally, this study will assist in
broadening the knowledge of the tourism stakeholders in Nigeria. The study will
equally help the general public to have more understanding of tourism and its
benefits if well developed. In addition, it will give clearer understanding on
the multiplier effects of tourism product development and marketing in the area
of tourism revenue generation, infrastructural development, employment
generation and tourism contribution to gross domestic product.
Academically, this study will help in widening the frontier of
knowledge in various ways; it will contribute to the enrichment of literature
on tourism marketing, destination competitiveness and tourism performance
indicators in Nigeria and finally, serve as a body of a reserved knowledge to
be referred to by future researchers.
1.8 Definition of terms
Tourism: Tourism is a social,
cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to
countries of places outside their usual environment for personal or
business/professional purposes.
Marketing: it is the systematic
and coordinated execution of business polices by both private and public sector
tourism organizations operating at the local, regional, national or
international level to achieve the optimal satisfaction of the needs
ofidentifiable tourist group and in doing so to achieve an appropriate return.
Destination: it is a unique place
where a visitor spends at least one night and exhibit tourism products such as
attractions, support services, tourism resources complete with defined management, physical
and administrative boundaries and a well-known image.
Destination marketing
organization: is an organization which promotes a location as an attractive
travel destination. They primarily exist to provide information to leisure
travelers.
Product: it is an object or
service made available for consumer use as of the customer. It is anything that
can be offered to a market to satisfy the desire or need of a customer.
Price: it is the value that
is put to a product or service and is the result of a complex set of
calculations, research and understanding risk taking ability.
Promotion: it refers to any type
of marketing communication used to inform target audiences of the relative
merits of a product, service, brand or issue, most of the time persuasive in
nature.
Place: refers to where
consumers buy your product or where they discover it. For tangible products
this will include physical store.
Process: this is the step
refers to the delivery of your product or service to a customer.
People: it refers to anyone
directly or indirectly involved in the business side. That means anyone
involved in selling a product or service, designing it, marketing, managing
teams, representing customers, recruiting and training.
Physical evidence: provides tangible cues
of the quality of experience that a company is offering. It can be particularly
useful when a customer has not brought from the organization before it is
delivered.
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