ASSESSING THE CHALLENGES OF HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM INDUSTRY

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The rate of growth of the hospitality industry in Nigeria is becoming alarming thereby increasing the level of competition in this very industry. Most hotels in Nigeria strive to meet up with the standard in terms of good accommodation, good services, and good customer relationship with aim of increasing the level of patronage in their business environment.

According to (schumpeter, 2005) in his works stated that, innovation can simply be regarded as the creation of new possibilities and opportunities for an additional value added accordingly, considering not only the known or typical product or process innovation of production only but also the market, the level of organisational and resource input innovation. The level of innovation plays a vital role in the survival and growth of an organisation because failure to improve the level of innovation will make the organisation vulnerable and to be knocked off by the organisation that practiced improved level of innovation.

According to (Victorino and verma, 2006) stated that a hotel that hotels can not really thrive if it does not improve and invest in innovation.

The hospitality and the tourism industry goes hand in hand; since one of them cannot operate effectively without the other, in that the hospitality industry sees a tourism site as a better avenue for business.

Tourism  industry has become one of the most important sector of most developing countries; the tourism industry has contributed more to the developing of most of the developing countries than the cash crop agriculture and other industries.

According to (world tourism organisation, 2002: 22), stated that tourism has contributed in the reduction of the problem faced with falling banana of the caribean island’s economies. The same was also said about the chinese adoption of tourism as a means of economic growth and development leading to great development in most of the targeted areas in China.

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Significant effort has been put in place in order to enhance the development of the hospitality and tourism industries in Nigeria but about 30% of the effect was seen; the major challenges faced by these sectors in Nigeria is lack of adequate financing and the location. Financing in that the most hospitality industries could not meet up with the advancement in the level of technology thereby loosing its brand and the level of patronage. On the side of the tourism industry; take Nigeria for instance, one can only count few states that have good weather condition, good topology and nice vegetation; the above stated problem made it difficult for the development of the hospitality and tourism industry.

1.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF STUDY

The main aim of the research work is to find out the major challenges faced by the hospitality and the tourism industry. The specific aims of the study are:

1. To examine the factors affecting the growth and development of the hospitality and the tourism industry
2. To examine the effect of improved level of innovation on the effeciency and effectiveness of the hospitality and tourism industry
3. To examine the relationship between the hospitality and the tourism industry
4. To investigate the effect of location on the development of tourism industry
5.  To offer recommendation for further studies

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTION

In order to ascertain the above stated objectives, the study came up with following research questions:

1. What are the factors affecting the growth and development of the hospitality and the tourism industry?
2. What is the effect of improved level of innovation on the efficiency and effectiveness of the hospitality and tourism industry?
3. Is there any the relationship between the hospitality and the tourism industry?
4. What is the effect of location on the development of tourism industry?

1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

The other to assess the challenges of hospitality and tourism industry, the study came up with the hypothesis as stated below:

H0: Improved innovation does not influences the growth and development of hospitality and tourism industry

H1: Improved innovation influences the growth and development of hospitality and tourism industry

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

The study assessing the challenges of hospitality and tourism industry will be of immense benefit to the federal government of Nigerial, students, individuals and other researchers that wishes to carry out a similar research on the above topic in other to understand perfectly the challenges of hospitality and tourism industry

1.7 SCOPE OF STUDY

The study is limited to assessing the challenges of hospitality and tourism industry in Nigeria.

1.8LIMITATION OF STUDY

Financial constraint- Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

Time constraint- The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.

1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS

HOSPITALITY:the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers.

TOURISM:the commercial organization and operation of holidays and visits to places of interest