Project Material on; PROBLEMS FACING SMALL SCALE HOTELS IN NIGERIA

Project Material on; PROBLEMS FACING SMALL SCALE HOTELS IN NIGERIA

PROBLEMS FACING SMALL SCALE HOTELS IN NIGERIA

 

Abstract

This study is on problems facing small scale hotels in Nigeria. The total population for the study is 200 staff of selected hotel in Lagos. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 133 respondents made up supervisors, guest relation officers, food and beverage supervisors and chefs were used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies.

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1      Background of the Study

In recent times, small and medium scale business has been a major source of revenue to most urban dwellers in Nigerian cities. World Tourism Organization (2016) has pointed out that hotels are now regarded as one of the best monuments in developed and developing countries of world. First class hotels in Abuja, Lagos, Port-Harcourt, Calabar, Kano, Kaduna, etc now rank one of the best tourist attractions in Africa. This is evidence that hotels and recreational centers serve as tourism centers through the provision of tourism facilities in most Nigerian Cities (Fred, 2017). Awaritefe (2004) opined that environmental perception is one of the psychological processes that occur as a result of the interaction of humans with their environment. Awaritefe (2003) emphasize the significance of positive perceptions by consumers in their selection of holiday resorts. This implies that small scale hotels plays significant role in the development of Lagos. Small scale business such as hotels and recreational centers is necessary as it is imperative to incorporate new business idea in form of entrepreneurship in business which will equip tourists to meet the socio-economic requirement of the world of work. It will empower the young youths and provide job for the timid unemployed youths in Nigeria (Evans, 2016). Through small scale businesses, they can explore the business and economic opportunities around them to become self-employed and create job for other people. Through small scale business, specific skills that are needed for successful entrepreneurship is taught such as the knowledge of the business environment, managerial skills, marketing strategies etc.

According to Martins (2017), small scale businesses which is an essential tool for economic development, will take cognizance of the need to provide unemployed youths with the ability and skills to be gainfully employed upon completion of their programme as well as prepare them for setting up their small businesses as entrepreneurs. All these are in tandem with the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategies (NEEDS) thrust on value orientation, employment generation and wealth creation. As observed by Elvis (2014), tourism has been of great help to most entrepreneurs who see the need of venturing into small scale businesses such as hotels and recreational centers. The Lagos State Ministry of Culture and Tourism Development in 2016 declared Lagos state hotels which meets tourism requirement as tourist’s sites. In this vein, the World Tourism Organization (WTO) in recent years has approved various hotels such as Chariton Hotel, Abuja and Leki Suit, Lagos as monuments and tourists attractions (Tourism Factbook, 2017).

Osuala (2009) predicted that small scale business at grass root level will not only drastically reduce social vices among the youth but will also cater for all interests, the dropouts, the handicapped, the geniuses and other physically-fit persons. Small scale business at grass root entails the strategies as adopted by the tourists, which vary from locations to locations. A hotel which is usually positioned at urban centers and open places will always have more people patronizing it than that located in villages and remote areas that are inaccessible. Okon (2002) confirmed that small scale business strategies include not only the manner of presentation of tourist facilities, but everything that he/she (tourists) does in the way of arranging tourism items within the hotel to tourism activities. According to Obi, (2005) small scale business is much more than opening a