EXPLORING THE ECONOMIC POTENTIALS OF TOURISM IN SOUTHERN KADUNA, NIGERIA.

Tourism is an essential sector that is capable of changing the fortunes of a country or region economically and culturally. The underutilization of economic potentials of tourism in Southern Kaduna is largely hinged on insufficient investment in infrastructure such as transportation and hotels. Failure to address the infrastructural deficit can lead to loss of economic opportunities and limited community development. This study is anchored on the need to explore the economic potentials of tourism in Southern Kaduna area. The Southern Kaduna within the context of this study include; Jaba, Jema’a, Kaura, Kauru, Sanga, Zango-Kataf, Kachia and Kagarko local government areas constituting the Southern Kaduna Senatorial District of Kaduna State. Southern Kaduna is inhabited by diverse ethnic and linguistic groups belonging to the broader Niger-Congo linguistic family. The cardinal aim of this study is to proffer solutions to the underutilization of tourism potentials in Southern Kaduna. The specific objectives of this study include: To point out the major tourist sites in Southern Kaduna, to ascertain the nature of road network leading to tourist sites in Southern Kaduna, to unravel the economic prospects of tourism in Southern Kaduna and to assess the extent of government commitment in revamping tourism in Southern Kaduna. Qualitative research approach was used in conducting this research. Data for the study was obtained from both primary and secondary sources of information and subjected to a process of descriptive analysis. The sources of information for the study is a combination of the survey method with oral interviews and the library method. The survey method and oral interviews provided the primary sources of data, while the library approach provided the secondary sources of information used to analyze the study.