International Journal of Social Sciences and Management Review

GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS OF ECOTOURISM RESOURCES FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN THE KANO REGION-NIGERIA

Authors: Aliyu Shuaibu Muhammad PhD, Salisu Lawal Halliru PhD & Saadatu Ibrahim

ABSTRACT

This paper aim at provision of the inventory of the ecotourism resources and their distribution pattern for Sustainable tourism development in the Kano Region-Nigeria. Documentary data on the inventory of the ecotourism resources were sourced from both published and unpublished materials. Garmin Global Positioning System was used for capturing coordinates of the ecotourism resources and GIS version 10.8 was used to analyze their spatial pattern using Nearest Neighborhood Analysis (NNA) tools. Based on the finding, it can be concluded that Kano region is home of ecotourism resources found in different locations across the region that have the potential to attract different types of tourists and promote environmental resource conservation. Rock formations and water bodies are the major ecotourism resources dominated the northwest, southwest and southeastern part of the region that can be used for achieving different socio-economic development, satisfying the interest of different Eco-tourist and improve infrastructural development of the region. The study recommended that Government at both National, state and local in collaboration with Non-governmental organizations and private individuals should put more emphasis in the development of ecotourism resources through provision of basic infrastructure at each sites in order to continue attracting different types of tourists and promote environmental resource conservation and to improve the socio-economic status of the local communities through incentives to provide local craft and souvenirs around each sites for the promotion of ecotourism in the region.

Keywords: Distribution, Ecotourism and Sustainable Development

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