TOURIST ATTRACTIONS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS

Tourist attractions and economic development in Nigeria: An empirical review is the subject of discourse. The study was set to achieve two specific objectives: to determine the relationship between tourist attractions and employment rate in Nigeria and to ascertain the relationship between tourist attractions and rural development in Nigeria.  Structured questionnaires were administered to the selected tourist attractions (tourist employees, management, and rural dwellers). Descriptive statistics was adopted to analyze the research questions. The hypotheses were tested using linear regression analysis to obtain the relationship between the variable under review. The findings showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between tourist attractions and the employment rate in Nigeria. It also revealed that tourist attractions are a source of rural development in Nigeria. It was concluded that tourism has tremendously contributed to the growth of relevant services and infrastructure in Nigeria. The study, therefore, recommended that government should create a serene environment that has the capacity to enhance destination attractiveness in Nigeria; that funds realized from tourism should be used for development projects, and that more attention should be given to tourism because of its employment opportunities to the jobless youths in Nigeria

CULTURAL FESTIVALS AND INCOME GENERATION IN IKWERRE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF RIVERS STATE

The study examined the correlates between cultural festivals and income generation inIkwerreLocal Government Area (LGA)of Rivers State. The specific objectives of the study were to;1. determine the relationship between cultural festivals and job creation, 2. Ascertain the relationship between cultural festivals and infrastructural development. The descriptive survey research design adopted the use of questionnaires as the main instrument for primary data collection. The population of the study was very large and unknown. The sample size of 300 was determined using Cochran’s formula for sample size determination from an infinite population. The questionnaire was administered to the residents of two communities (Aluu and Choba) in Ikwerre LGA, Rivers State. The questionnaire was validated through the face and, content validity. The internal consistency of the instrument was excellent (.716) using Chronbach Alpha. The statistical tool for data analyses was  Pearson  Correlation. Major findings showed that festivals had a positive and significant relationship with job creation and infrastructural development in Ikwerre LGA, Rivers  State.   The study concluded that  Ikwerre cultural festival has demonstrated that tourism is a significant major player in job creation and infrastructural development. It was therefore recommended that stakeholders should embrace tourism marketing to enhance the profitability of cultural festivals

TALENT MANAGEMENT AND ORGANISATIONAL GROWTH: A STUDY OF SELECTED MANUFACTURING FIRMS IN ABA, ABIA STATE

Talent management and growth of manufacturing firms are research carried out to evaluate the effects of talent acquisition, talent retention, and career development on a firm’s profits and market expansion. The researcher obtained a sample of two hundred and thirty-six (236) respondents from three manufacturing firms in Aba, Abia using questionnaire. The sample was collected by random technique while the three organizations were judgmentally chosen based on their possession of some desired characteristics. Analysis of variance and multiple regression was performed on the data using version 20 of the SPSS. The statistical results show that talent management has a positive and significant relationship with organisational growth in the context of profitability and market expansion. The study, therefore, concluded that talent management enhances a firm’s growth. It is recommended that human resource management adopts the talent acquisition technique as a strategy to increase the profits of the firm, talent retention should be seen as a necessary strategy to keep the best employees capable of adding value to the market expansion activities of the organization, career development opportunities should be given to employees. market expansion and profits should be pursued from a talent management perspective for reliable results, and a talent management unit as a sub-section of human resource management should be created for efficiency and effectiveness

EVENT PLANNING AND TOURISTS REVISIT INTENTION TO CALABAR CARNIVAL

The study examined the effect of event planning on tourists' revisit intention to Calabar Carnival. The study adopted a survey descriptive research design with the use of a questionnaire as the main instrument for primary data collection. The population of the study was very large and unknown. The sample size of 158was  determined using Cochran’s formula for sample size determination from an infinite population.  The questionnaire was administered to the tourists who attended the Calabar carnival. The questionnaire was validated through the face and, content validity. The internal consistency of the instrument was excellent (.812) using Chronbach Alpha. The statistical tool for data analyses was  Pearson  Correlation. Major findings showed that event planning had a positive and significant relationship with tourists’ revisit intentions towards Calabar Carnival. The study concluded that proper event planning is crucial in promoting tourists’ revisit intentions. It was therefore recommended that stakeholders should embrace tourism destination marketing planning techniques to enhance tourists' revisit intentions

EVENT PLANNING AS A VERITABLE TOOL FOR CREATING AWARENESS OF CULTURE DURING CALABAR CARNIVAL

The study was designed to investigate event planning as a tool for creating awareness of culture during the Calabar carnival. The research design adopted by the researcher was the survey research design with the questionnaire as an instrument for primary data collection. The choice of survey design was considered appropriate for the study.  The Yaro Yamene method was used to determine the sample size, while the statistical tool used for data analysis was the Simple Regression Analytical tool. The findings revealed that proper event planning has a significant effect on creating awareness of culture during the Calabar carnival. From the findings made, the study concluded that proper event planning plays a critical role in achieving the purpose of an event. It is therefore recommended that event planners should always be guided by the predetermined event objectives while promoting the events