EFFECT OF TOURISM SITE INFRASTRUCTURE ON VISITOR PATRONAGE BY GLORIA MAYEN UMUKORO, PhD DEPARTMENT OF MODERN LANGUAGES AND TRANSLATION STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF CALABAR umukorogloria@gmail.com umukorogloria@unical.edu.ng & PETER A. AGWU DEPARTMENT OF MODERN LANGUAGES AND TRANSLATION STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF CALABAR agwupeter94gmail.com ABSTRACT This paper investigated tourism site infrastructure and its effect on patronage in Calabar Metropolis, Cross River State. The specific objectives of the study were to find out the nature of the relationship between security level, availability of leisure aid recreation facilities, quantity and quality of historical artefacts, location, ambience and tour guide and their effect on visitor patronage. The study was supported by Qualitative and inferential research design methods in order to ascertain the predictability of tourist patronage in the study. A sample of one hundred and twenty-five (125) respondents were systematically selected for the study and administered copies of the questionnaire. The multiple non-linear regression test statistic was deployed for validating the hypotheses developed for the study. The results showed that security level, leisure and recreation, historical artefact and requisite accommodation were statistically significant in impacting a positive/direct influence on visitor patronage, while location ambience and tour guide were not statistically significant in impacting on visitor patronage. The study concluded that changes in visitor patronage can be accounted for by changes in tourist site infrastructures, but that location ambience and tour guide are not sufficient pull-factors for visitor patronage in Calabar Metropolis. The study recommended among other things, government and private sector involutes in archaeological research, security facilities, low-cost advanced accommodation for activities and oppressive use of mass media in portraying the historical significance of the area. Key words: Tourism site, tourism infrastructure, patronage, location ambience, consistent patronage, requisite accommodation, historical conflicts and your guide. INTRODUCTION Economic diversification through non-crude oil related activities has been the mantra of the current Mohamadu Buhari led democratic administration in Nigeria. The non-crude dimension in the policy includes among other things tourism, agriculture, solid mineral mining, entertainment and Information Communication Technology (ICT). These industries especially tourism have not received sufficient human primaries and material support and/or investment from government and the private sector in Nigeria (Worlu, Adekanbi, Ajagbe, Isiavwe & Adummola, 2015). This resulted in the slow pace of tourism development as an avenue for economic diversification. Accordingly, there is a dire need for adequate augmentation of tourism infrastructure in terms of leisure and recreation facilities, security, historical artefacts, location ambience factors and your guide personnel. This will aid in sustaining optimal visitor patronage irrespective of festive period in areas that have to potency for a perpetual visit by both indigenous and foreign tourists. However, Calabar metropolis posses this potency of sustained tourist patronage, resulting from its rich historical heritage, botanical and wildlife conservation centres, Christmas carnival part(ies) and so on. But, sufficient funding love must not have been invested by government and private sector for exploiting this potency. Evidently, foreign and indigenous tourist patronage are relatively at Peak during festive periods, especially around December (Ajake, 2015). Most tourist site infrastructure requires an upgrade in order to stimulate consistent patronage in Calabar metropolis. Seriously, in Calabar metropolis, there has been evidence of increased insecurity resulting from secret cult activities which have claimed the lives of over twenty people in three (3) years. This presents a negative image to tourist from outside the state and Nigeria. Leisure and recreation facilities have not met infection standards and still operate from a mundane perspective. Historical artefacts are insufficient in both quality and quality of sustain constituent patronage. The area that was historically known for its role in the "slave trade ere" has little or no tangible evidence. This is largely due to insufficient finding in research that relates directly to archaeology in the area. Furthermore, most tourist sites in the area are inadequately fortified with modern ambience factors to include among other things attractive lighting, flowers, vehicle parking space, public relaxation sites, pedestrian paths and medical/health services. Also, the quality and quantity of your guide are perceived to lack adequate customer responsive qualities. Thus, it is based on this brief background. This paper was designed to investigate tourist site infrastructures and their influence on patronage in Calabar Metropolis, Cross River State. Literature Review Every system whether public or private or manufacturing and/or service provision in nature is compassed of human, material and financial resources. These resources must be in adequate quality and quantity in order to ensure the continuous existence and/or operation of the system (Armstrong, 2016). The tourism industry is a system and is composed of the requisite resources. These resources are expressly directed toward inducing patronage from within and outside its location as well as for revenue generation (Dennis, 2003). However, there exists a large body of research in tourism dimensions, as it influences patronage. Omisore and Akande (2009) investigated access-Ila Coty constraints of patronage of the tourist site in Ondo and Ekiti states, Nigeria. The study adopted the quantitative research method. The study decomposed the constraint of patronage of tourist site into physical distance and cost. Twelve (12) tourist sites were randomly selected from a total of thirty-two (32) tourist sites identified in the area. The purposive incidental sampling method was employed in aiming at a sample of three hundred and fifty-eight (358) respondents. The results from the study showed that accessibility played a very important role in the patronage of tourist sites in the study area. The study concluded that for the tourist sites to attract patronage and to realize the economic benefit from them, such sites should be made more accessible through the provision of goods roads and other infrastructure facilities. The location of tourist sites plays a fundamental role in the rate of patronage. Sites located in urban centres are most likely to attract a relatively higher patronage in comparison to sites outside urban areas. However, the tourist states in Ondo and Ekiti state of Nigeria one on the average located in remote areas, hence the difficulty in accessibility via roads and its associated high cost of transportation notwithstanding. Worlu, Adekami, Ajagbe, Isiavwe & Adunola (2015) studied brand identity of tourist destruction and the impact on patronage in Nigeria. The study adopted a quantitative approach to data collection through questionnaire distribution that had an eighty-three percent (83%) response rate from a total of one hundred and twenty (120) respondents. The research Pearson Correlation and linear Regression test statistic were adopted from validating the hypotheses developed for the study. The study found that the creation and consistent improvement of brand identity would be a positive/direct effect on foreign tourists view and choice of Nigeria as a tourist destination. Among other things, the study recommended a customer oriented approach/philosophy in the overall marketing strategies and plans for tourism in Nigeria, its constitute adequate security and safety facilities. The will inevitably reinforce a source of safety in the minds of factual and/or potential foreign tourist. The study further recommends improved road networks, quality of accommodation, the creation of a range of holiday packages to be marketed directly to international for operators and regional travel agents. Assured security and standardized accommodation facilities are the primary stimulants for attracting international tourists. Other infrastructures may have a significant effect on international patronage. Using partial least square (PLS), a variance based stretched equation model was employed to a analyze the data collection in a study titled "Tourist's" perception of destruction travel attributes: An application to international tourist to Kunda Lumpur, Malaysia. Necthaihnan (2014) used a sample of one hundred and forty (140) international tourists existing the study area. The influence of travel attributes on satisfaction and the moderating effect of demographic factors on the relationship between travel attributes and tourists satisfaction were investigated. The travel attributes had satisfactory predictive relevance and explained the changes in the variance of the endogenous variables of tourist satisfaction. In the study, all the demographic factors considered, moderated the relationship between at least one of the travel dimensions and tourist satisfaction. Ajake (2015) in a study titled influence of marketing strategies on tourist choice destruction area in Cross River State, Nigeria adopted the descriptive and quantitative statistics in analyzing the data collected. The study used both primary and secondary source of data. Primary sources include questionnaire survey, interviews, observation and content analysis of tourism brochures. The secondary source includes data from government tourism organization (GTO's) and Private Tourism Service Providers (PTSP) involved in promoting and marketing tourism products. Two hundred and fifteen respondents constituting tourists and staff of GTO's and PTSPS were used in the study. The study found that from the six (6) activities participated by tourists in the area; sixty-four percent (64%) respondents were involved in leisure/recreational park and historical sole/museum activities. The re-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the level of attractiveness of tourism attractions and events produced F-ratio of 14.245, significant at 0.05 level indicated a statistically significant difference in the level of attractions of tourism products in the study area. Furthermore, the findings showed that the higher the response on tourism product attractiveness level, the greater the population of forests on that site. Evidently, Obudu Cattle Ranch Resort was the most attractive site and accounted for ninety-one percent (91%) response. Obudu Crocodile Lake and Akatcha Pestorel were not attached by forests. The Kruskal-Wallis Test (H) showed that several independent samples were significant at x2 (df=5)= that several independent samples were a significant difference in the level of influence of tourism marketing strategies on tourists choice of destruction area. In the study, all the marketing strategies were influential on aggregate representing thirty-nine parent (39%). Festival/events and security/environmental beautification were rated very high influential marketing strategies on tourists attraction to the study area. The study concluded that the high ratings in festivals and security/environment beautification was dependent on the efficacy of the marketing strategies and approaches adopted. The study recommended an increased level of persuasive and appealing marketing strategies in a radio, television and the internet in order to induce an increase in intentional and local tourist choice of destination Cross River State, Nigeria. Bakatola (2011) in a study titled tourism patronage and prospect among youths in Lagos State. The study was stimulated on the basis of previous situation vis-à-vis current stakeholders level of involvement and what the prospects of tourism hold for the peoples and economic condition in Nigeria. The study operationalized patronage into the volume of tourism patronage, the readiness to pay for existing leisure facilities and the psycho-personality traits of patrons with respect to their leisure-pleasure orientations. The study selected respondents for questionnaire administration on a simple random sampling basis. The specific objectives were analyzed on the basis of respondents attitude, knowledge and perception using charts and frequency tables. The finding showed that three (3) out of the nineteen (19) tourists facilities selected for the study had a relatively high level of patronage. The study showed that one out of the nineteen (19) tourists sites could contribute greatly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Lagos state and Nigeria in general in the nearest future. Tourism basically attracts youths between the ages of eighteen (18) to thirty-five (35) years, relative to married and for adults in the area. This could be perceived as a result of personal responsibility, the high birth rate among other things. Wowing the influence of maintenance culture in the dimensions of experiences value and then indirectly affect the re-patronage intention. Ibimilua (2009) studied tourism participate on towns of attractions, influence and key trends in Ekiti State, Nigeria. The broad objectives were to appraise the tourism potentials of the state vis-à-vis patronage level and the influences on the choice of attraction as well as the constraints to tourism development. The research methods constitute in-depth fieldwork, observation, participation, interviews and focus group discussions. The stratified random sampling technique was adopted on the basis of the nature of the research instrument/questionnaire. The finding unfolds that the natural economy and man-mode potentials for recreation and tourism in Ekiti state are numerous, while the level of participation and tourism development recommend relatively low. The study recommended the formulation and implementation of development strategies and policy for stimulating improvement in tourism. A common weakness evident in most of these studies is the failure to consider the internal infrastructure/resources of a specific tourist site in terms of their quality and quantity. Methodology Research design The study adopted a quantitative research design. This approach was adopted because it aided the investigator to ascertain the predictability of visitor patronage in the study area on the basis of the influence of six (6) independent variables to include; security level, historical artefacts, leisure and recreation, location audience, your guide volume and accommodation quality. Area of Study Calabar Metropolis is composed of Calabar Municipality and Calabar South Local Government Areas. The area lies on the geographical coordinate of 4034'27" North and 6058'28" East. The area has an annual average Relative Humidity of eighty-five percent (58%), four-hundred and six (406) km2, and a population of three hundred and seventy-five thousand, one hundred and ninety six (375, 196) according to the 2006 National Population Census. The area has over thirty-two (32) tourist-visitor-ready sites, over three hundred and fifty (350) accommodation facilities to include hotels, guest houses, lodges, motels and resorts. A total number of four hundred and seventy-seven, thousand six hundred and twenty-nine (477,621), visitors patronized these visitor-ready sites (CRSTB, 2016). Sample size and sampling procedure The sample of the study was significantly selected. Taro Yamare statistical estimation was deployed in aiming at a simple of one hundred and twenty-five (125) respondents. Four (4) tourist sites were used for the study. These include; the National Museum, Ceropan Wildlife Conservation Centre, Marina Resort and Tinappa leisure Resort. However, the systematic sampling method was effected by contacting every three (3) visitors that entered the site. Data Source Data source were gotten from both primary and secondary source. Primary sources were gotten by questionnaire distribution, personal observation and interviews. The questionnaire drew heavily on respondents opinion concerning the level of security, location ambience, your guide, accommodation, historical artefact and leisure and recreation. Secondary sources of data include historical data on visitor patronage from 1st December 2016 to 31st January 2017, extracted from Cross River State tourism Burea, and from the various sites used for the study. This aided comparing and for setting a confidence interval. Data analysis Frequency count, mean and percentage were used for analyzing the data collected. Five hypothesis were developed and tested using the multiple non-linear Regression approach. The model specification i.e expressed thus: Y=f(x1,x2 ……… xn) …………………………………………………….(1) Where: Y = Dependent Variable x1,x2 ……… xn = Independent variables The multiple linear model may be stated as; Y=b0+b1,x1 + b2,x2+b3+x3+b4,x4+b3x3+b6x6+ et …………….(2) Where: Y = Dependent variable bo = vertical intercept b1-b6= Coefficient of predictors or independent variables X1-x6 = Independent variables et = Random factor or error from which affect y Given that:Y = VP (Visitor patronage) b1= SL (Security level) b2 = LR (Leisure and recreation) b3 = HA (Historical artifacts) b4 = LA (Location ambience b5 = TG (Tour guide) b6 = RA (Requisite accommodation) The model is exploticitly expressed thus: Vpy =b0+SLx1+LRx2+HAx3+Lax4+PGz5+RAx6+ et ----------(3) Research hypotheses Six (6) hypotheses were developed based on the decomposition of posit site infrastructure. They are sited in null (H0) from below: Security level has no significant effect on visitor patronage Leisure and recreation do not affect visitor patronage Historical artefacts do not influence visitor patronage Location ambience has no significant effect on visitor patronage Tour guide do not influence visitor patronage The requisite accommodation has no effect on visitor patronage. Results and decision Table Multiple non-linear Regression result Variable Coefficient Standard errors t-value SL(x1) 0.490 0.066 8.610*** LR(x2) 0.389 0.073 5.959** HA(x3) 0.249 0.071 4.321* LA(x4) 0.130 0.037 1.687* TG(x5) 0.032 0.002 1.701** RA(x6) 0.311 0.076 7.822*** Model Summary and diagnostic statistic R2 0.879243 Adjusted R2 0.880111 S. E of regression 0.055219 F- Value 2.13** 2.13** NB *** Represents significance at 1% probability ** Represents significance at 5% probability * Represent significance at 10% probability Table 1 above show the multiple non-linear regression results for visitors patronage using six (6) predictors as tourist site infrastructure. The 6 independent variables taken together were significant in impacting a positive variable in visitor patronage in the selected tourist site in Calabar metropolis with an outcome of R2=0.879243. The joint influence of the 6 regressive on patronage outcome in the area was also found to be statistically significant at F=2.13, P=0.000. A critical examination of the both beta coefficient security level (x1), leisure and recreation (x2), historical artifact (x3), and requisite accommodation (x6) were 0.490,0.889, 0.243 and 0.311 unit, at 19%, 5%, 10% and 1% respectively. This indicates that security level, leisure and recreation, historical artefacts and requisite accommodation were statistically significant in impacting a positive/direct effect on visitor patronage. The implication is that an increase in x1, x2, x3 and x6 by their respective that will induce a simultaneous increase in visitor patronage in the selected tourist sites in Calabar Metropolis. This result corresponds with the findings of (Ajake, 2015 and Babatola, 2011). In their separate studies were evidence were found of a similar relationship between destruction image resources and patronage. The coefficient location ambience (x4) and tour guide (x5) were 0.130 and 0.32 unit, at 10% and 5% probability respectively. Both variables were not statistically significant in impacting a positive effect on patronage. Indicating that location ambience and the quality and quantity of tour guide was not a significant pull-factor for visitor patronage. Conclusion and recommendations In synopsis, the model provided evidence suggest that there is a bi-directional causality relationship between tourist site infrastructure and visitor patronagein the following areas, Marina Resort, National museum, Tinappa leisure resort and cercopan wildlife conservation resort in Calabar metropolis, Cross River State. But among the variables of tourist site infrastructure; location ambience and tour guide put differently were not considered as pull-factors for resistant visitor patronage. However, only security level, leisure and recreation, historical artefacts and requisite accommodation are the factors that induce visitor patronage. Thus, the study recommends as follows: i. The position of advanced monitoring and security outfit by the government to the revenue para-military outfits and the Nigerian police in order to meet the increasing histories in Calabar Metropolis and its environments. ii. Establishing at least two replicas of the facilities within the current Tinappa business and leisure resort within Calabar South Local Government Area, in order to reduce the cost of transportation as well as drive indigenous patronage in the area. iii. Provision of low-cost accommodation that has modern facilities and the area as well as the implementation of policies concerning maximum accommodation rates for the hospitality industry, in order to increase tourist patronage all year round. iv. Review of the annual Calabar Christmas Carnival to be done at least quarterly each year, in a bid to maintain an influx of information tourist as well as aid revenue generation for the state and the nation in general. v. Adequate funding research activities that relate directly to archaeology for the purpose of increasing historical artefacts in the National Museum in Calabar. vi. Aggressive use of the internet, reward television in portraying the historical importance and significance of Calabar Metropolis in order to drive a sense of historical conciseness among youths and the general public. vii. Establishing a policy that compels every newly admitted undergraduate into any higher institution in Cross River State to visit the Calabar Museum and provide evidence as a prerequisite before completing his/her admission procedure. Reference Ajake, A. O. (2015). Influence of marketing strategies on tourists choice of destination area in Cross River State, Nigeria: American Journal of Tourism Management, 4(3), 61-76 Armstrong. M. L. (2016). Modern Management Theories, Models and cases (3rd ed). New Jersey: Free Press. Babatola, F. O. (2011). Tourism patronage and prospects among youths in Lagos State. University of Lagos: unpublished master's thesis Dennis, L. E. (2013). Travel and tourism: An introductory perspectives Illinois: McGraw-Hill Publications. Enemuo, O. 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