CHAPTER ONE

• INTRODUCTION

Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in the world today. It plays an important part in nation’s economy by producing the opportunities for employment, continuously to the balance of payment and helping in economic growth. Tourism is a multidimensional, multifaceted activity which touches many lives and many business activities.

The application of the use of computer in almost all facet of human endeavor cannot be over stressed. Since the introduction of micro computer, the world of office automation has changed and will continue to be changing with modernization made to the present ones. We are trying to see the impact the computer will make to tourism in Imo State.

Tourism is a manifestation of movement from one place to another. Transportation makes the existence of tourism; transportation produces the possibility for most of these movements in order words transport is an integral part of tourism and conveyor of tourists to different tourist destinations and the activities. Logically, the more accessible tourist resources are the more it is able to attract tourists. There are major models of transportation associated with international tourist movement such as the air transports, train (railways), and automobile.

In a simple term, tourism can be defined as traveling for pleasure, recreation or relaxation. Because of the momental impact of tourism on the global economy. The contemporary definition of tourism higher premium on the transfer of financial resources from the tourists abode to his destination than the purpose of the travel. A tourist therefore can engage in any activity like sports, cultural appreciation, relaxation, religious rejuvenation, business and participation in a conference, to mention but a few. When a tourist leaves his home town for another location in the same country he is classified as a domestic tourist. If he crosses the frontiers of his country, he becomes an international tourist.

The important of this definition of tourism is that the thousands of Imo state citizens residing in various parts of Nigeria who troop home with  their annual saving during Christmas, and return to their station with near – empty wallets in less one week are domestic tourist.

For a country to be counted as a successful tourist destinations it has to record a seasonable blend between domestic and international tourism. Countries as large as Nigeria usually have more domestic than international tourist.

According to Kraal (1999:1B) travel and tourism is now the biggest single industry , employing more than 12million people and producing nearly 100m per year in taxes. It counts for between 25 and 30 percent of world trades in services, travel opportunities can enhance the quality of the human experience in spiritual and national particulars Kriffendorf (1987:20)

• Travel is recuperation and regulation
• Travel is compensation and social integration
• Travel is escape
• Travel is communication
• Travel is broadness the mind
• Travel is freedom and self determination
• Travel is happiness

Nigeria is endowed with inverse natural resources relative to the nations in Africa and even in a global level. A stock of Nigerians vast tourism resources includes peculiar geomorphologic features, historical movement rachis, wild life and game reserves have aptly described Nigeria as a land of contrast.

Imo state has been described as a state richly endowed with natural resources of enormous tourism potential which if fully exploited and well managed are capable of becoming the states major alternative source. A stock of imo states tourism resources include the natural lakes that abound across the state as exemplified by Oguta Lake, the range of hills around Okigwe and environments that can encourage the mind building exercise of mountaineering particularly among the youths. The network of rivers and streams with their sand beaches that are common features in Obowo district, exciting landmarks at owerri, the botanical garden and 300 at Nekede near Owerri, and other numerous sites of tourist attraction.

Tourism industry in Imo state also include hotels and holiday resort in both stock and quality. Recreational facilities for sports and recreation and amusements, monument, historic relics, artifacts and natural sceneries are located in cities and villages across the state. A number of tradition festivals are organized in Imo state yearly. Some of which are of international dimension, namely the canoe regatta in reverine areas traditional wrestling contests which is fast regaining popularity. The Ozuruimo cultural festival, the Mmanwu festival in Igboland, Iri ji festival and a host of others.

These entire enormous tourism heritage can be packaged as an item of international trade through effective marketing strategies and Imo state can launch herself into the fire front of both as a tour destination and helping state to generate foreign exchange. It is basically the aim of this study to examine the Oguta lake Holiday Resort as a tourist center, identifying the problems it encounters and exploring some of the possible benefits that may accrue to state if properly managed.

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