Factors Affecting the Sustainability of Recreational Facilities in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study examined the factors affecting the sustainability of recreational facilities in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. Recreational facilities play significant roles in promoting tourism, physical well-being, environmental quality, social interaction, and economic development. However, many recreational facilities in Nigerian cities face serious sustainability challenges due to inadequate funding, poor maintenance culture, rapid urbanization, insecurity, environmental degradation, and weak government policies. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. Data were obtained through questionnaires, interviews, and field observations conducted among facility managers, users, tourism officials, and residents in Calabar Municipality and Calabar South Local Government Areas. Secondary data were sourced from journals, textbooks, government publications, and online materials. Findings revealed that inadequate funding, poor maintenance practices, lack of government support, insufficient skilled personnel, vandalism, insecurity, and population pressure were the major factors affecting the sustainability of recreational facilities in the study area. The study further revealed that sustainable recreational facilities contribute significantly to tourism development, employment generation, environmental conservation, and community health. The study recommended increased government investment, publicprivate partnerships, improved maintenance culture, community participation, effective security systems, and implementation of sustainable management policies for recreational facilities in Calabar.
Downloads
Article Details
Issue
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
All articles published in TJESDS are under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This license allows others to:
Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially
Under the following terms:
Attribution — Proper credit must be given to the original author(s) and source, including a link to the license.
No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
For more information, visit: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
How to Cite
References
Akinsola, O. E. (2012). Evaluation of the scenarios of facilities maintenance management of sport complexes in South West Nigeria. Journal of Sustainable Development, 5(4), 99–108.
Broadhurst, R. (2001). Managing environments for leisure and recreation. Routledge.
Chiesura, A. (2004). The role of urban parks for the sustainable city. Landscape and Urban Planning, 68(1), 129–138.
Dung, A. F., Dakogol, C., Bala, A. I., & Manne, M. J. (2023). Factors affecting the development of recreational facilities in Awka South Urban Areas of Anambra State, Nigeria. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 7(8), 703–715.
Ijatuyi, O. O., & Ajenifujah-Abubakar, A. O. (2014). Towards a liveable and sustainable urban recreational park: A study of users’ perception and preferences. Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 4(24), 48–56.
Ogunmakinde, O., Akinola, A. A., & Siyanbola, A. B. (2013). Analysis of the factors affecting building maintenance in government residential estates in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. Journal of Environmental Sciences and Resources Management, 5(2),
89–103.
Olasemojo, R. O., & Owoeye, J. O. (2019). Chronicle of exogenous factors influencing infrastructure maintenance in residential core of Akure, Nigeria. Sustainable Development Research, 2(1), 26–37.
World Tourism Organization. (2018). Tourism and sustainable development goals. UNWTO Publications.