Spatial distribution of tourist attraction sites in southern geo-political zone of Adamawa state, Nigeria

Abstract

Tourism is mainly seen as a growth industry since the flow of tourists to different tourist destinations contributes to economic growth. The importance of an area as a tourist delight is a function of three major factors; accessibility, natural and cultural attraction and social amenities. Southern Adamawa Geo-Political Zone has a wide range of such attractions, and is easily accessible to the state capital, Yola, where social amenities are concentrated, a common characteristic of Nigerian urban centers. The research therefore, assess the spatial distribution of tourist attraction sites using Global Positioning System (GPS) to establish the coordinates of the sites, and the tourist attraction sites were identified on the Google Earth. Notable tourist attraction site identified are the Farai festival, Lamurde warm spring, Kiri dam and resort, Gumti park and Vunom wrestling festival among others. These sites are easily accessible by a motor able road over a short distance to the state capital Yola, which houses most social amenities most importantly are the hospitality and catering service. The study recommend among others, the upgrading of facilities and infrastructures in and around these attraction sites, creation of tourism database to be linked to a website to showcase these sites to the rest of the world