The impacts of colonialism on residents’ perceptions of tourism in Southeastern Nigeria

Abstract

Whilst colonialism remains under-researched as a variable that influences residents’ perceptions of tourism, few researchers have commented on its impacts. This observation explains the need to explore how and why colonialism influences residents’ perceptions of tourism in Nigeria. The paper adopts an ethnographic approach to interact with stakeholders who witnessed colonialism in the country. The analysis shows dissimilarities among participants’ perceptions of colonialism and tourism. The results suggest that for tourism to be sustained and gain residents’ support, the developers and planners need to make residents part of the planning process as this could help change their orientation.