Ski – resort and regional development: profile of visitors ... - E-Journal

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Onome Daniel Awaritefe
characteristics such as nationality, income, age and education are important variables that
influenced tourism demand. In order words, tourists in dominantly nature/ecotourism destinations
appeared differentiated in demand for tourism products based on their demographic characteristics
only; especially socio-economic status, sex and education. In contrasts, tourists in dominantly
culture/historic tourism destinations appeared differentiated in tourism product demand
primarily on the basis of their culture/nationality, and to a lesser degree, based on some
demographic characteristics. Also, it is concluded that tourism product demand is also
determined by the environmental peculiarity or quality in the various tourism destinations.
Conclusion and Implication of Study
The primary goal of this study was to discover those variables that are important in the
demographic, social and cultural characteristics of tourists that significantly influenced demand
for tourism products. This was with the aim of providing information that may be helpful
in establishing the types of tourism destination products that are important and demanded by
the various tourist groups visiting tourism destinations in Nigeria. The study revealed that
demographic, social group and cultural characteristics of tourists did not adequately explain
variation in tourism product demand. Both demographic, social group and cultural characteristics
of tourists in all tourism destinations selected for study in Nigeria showed fairly low levels
of explanation for tourism product demand. The hypothesis that destination product demand
is significantly influenced by demographic, social or cultural group characteristics of tourists
was therefore rejected. In all destinations, variation in tourism product demand accounted
for by the factors of demographic, social groups and cultural/nationality variables was generally
rather low. However, significant variation in some tourism product demand was revealed for
some culture/nationality and demographic tourist groups. In addition, quality of destinations,
when incorporated in subsequent regression analysis for each of the seven destinations suggests
that the environment quality of each destination was also important in accounting for variation
in tourism product demand between various tourists segments. Thus, no single factor or
variable of demographic, social group or culture but rather various sets of these variables
including environment quality of destinations interrelated in various manner and significance
to determine variation in destination product demand. The findings are consistent with previous
Western studies by Adams, et al (1973), Dann (1996), Moscardo (2001), Parolin (2001),
Moscardo and Greenwood (2001) where variations in destination product demand was shown
to be related only to some demographic, social and cultural group factors, and the environmental
quality of destinations.
The findings of the study also have some practical planning, marketing and management
implications. Previous efforts to improve or rejuvenate tourism destinations in Nigeria,
especially in the allocation of resources to the tourism sector by the Federal and some state
governments, have often lacked consideration for variations in the tastes of various tourist
segments. This neglect is also true for spatial variations in resource endowment and constraints
in tourism destinations (Awaritefe, 2004). The variations revealed in the study by different
tourists’ segments in their demand for destination products and constraints encountered in the
Tourism Today - Fall 2007 - Full Paper