Policy and Politics of Infrastructure Provision for Tourism Development and Growth: A Study of Ekiti State

Abstract

The paper is based on the policy and politics of infrastructural provision for tourism development and growth in Ekiti state. The objectives are: to identify the state government tourism related policies, to examine how politics affect the tourism policies, and to investigate the state of infrastructural provisions in the state government. The research instruments that were used to collect data in this study include the use of primary and secondary methods of data collection. Questionnaires and the use of data from related material like journals, textbooks and internet were used. The sampling techniques that were used in this research work include purposive and multistage random sampling methods. The purposive sampling was used because government officials of tourism board were involved. The multistage sampling was used because Ekiti state was first divided into sixteen local government areas, ten local government were selected and ten wards were selected from the ten local government selected. Ten questionnaires were administered to ten people in each of these wards to get the data needed. The names of the areas are; Moba, Idoosi, Oye, Ijero, Ilejemeje, Ado, Aramoko, Ekiti West, Ekiti east and Ifelodun local government areas. The data collected were subjected to statistical computation using descriptive analysis such as table, chart and simple percentage. The demographic characteristics data of the respondents show that the female category had the highest percentage of 52% of the respondents were shown in the tables. Other variables were shown respectively. The identified government related policies on tourism industry in Ekiti state and the state of compliances observed as follows: the level of compliance and application of the tourism policies are very poor. Only on festivals and events had 85% of the total respondents’ other policies were nil. It is seen from the chart that politics affects policy of government because of the following: Lack of government will to fund the industry taking 37% of the respondents, why all the above options have 57% of the respondents. On the level of infrastructural provision in the study area, the road infrastructure has 22% of the total respondents that the roads are not totally bad but manageable while 36% were of the opinion that they were bad. On electricity supply, 38% of the total respondent claimed that electricity is not being supplied as sort while 29% of the respondents claimed that the light is stable. The supply of good running water had 11% of the respondents meaning the regular supply of water is poor. Support services like banking, Accommodations, post office and internet services were found to be poor too because all the respondents claimed that they said no.  The strength of every economy is a mirror image of the infrastructural development of the country and this is governed by the policy and politics prevailing in the country.  Government should partner with corporate organizations and private individuals to modify and formulate policies and political agenda that will foster rapid infrastructure developments. In respect of the research carried out, the findings necessitate the following recommendations: Government should intensify efforts to provide infrastructure in the study area Organs of NTDC should be extended to the local government areas for the policies related to tourism to be executed in the study areas. There must be an adequate promotion of tourism potentials.