Community based development and the igbo olodumare tourist centre, Okeigbo, ondo state, Nigeria

Abstract

The beauty of every tourist centre lies in its embedded facilities that will make the visitors or tourists feel satisfied and comfortable and which may make them in return term such tourist centre “a home away from home”. The study utilized both primary and secondary data. Primary data was sourced using personal observation, oral interview which was directed at the curator of Igbo Olodumare and structured questionnaires which were administered to tourists using purposive sampling. A total number of 85 questionnaires were administered to the tourists and all were retrieved. Majority (57.7%) of the respondents was students, 28.2% of the tourists are civil servants, 9.4% are researchers while the remaining 4.7% are self- employed. Findings suggest that investment in Igbo Olodumare will not only develop Igbo Olodumare village or Okeigbo town but Ondo State at large thereby boosting the economy and providing job opportunities for the unemployed. The main argument of the paper is that if the tourist centre is well developed and properly managed, it will attract tourists and investors from all over the world.